With firing of Pat Shurmur, Giants will once again avoid ‘Hard Knocks’

After firing head coach Pat Shurmur, the New York Giants are exempt from appearing on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” in 2020.

The New York Giants very nearly landed on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” in 2019, but ultimately avoided the big stage when the Oakland Raiders were given the nod.

That was obviously a sigh of relief for co-owner John Mara, who has stated previously that the Giants will appear on “Hard Knocks” only over his dead body.

The good news for Mara & Co? They won’t even be in the running to appear on HBO’s successful docuseries in 2020.

Unless the Giants volunteer — which they certainly won’t — they no longer meet the criteria as outlined by the NFL.

A team is exempt from appearing on the show if:

  • It has a first-year head coach.
  • It has made the playoffs in either of the previous two years.
  • It has appeared on “Hard Knocks” over the previous 10 seasons.

Currently, only five teams meet the necessary criteria to appear — the Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Another year, another win for the Giants over HBO.

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