Steve Tisch Slams 'Hard Knocks:' New York Giants Co-Owner Calls HBO Series 'Distraction' [VIDEO]

HBO’s long-running “Hard Knocks” series may be popular with NFL fans, but at least one prominent team owner thinks it’s bad for the sports players.

Steve Tisch, a co-owner of the New York Giants, expressed his concerns on Wednesday that “Hard Knocks” could have a palpable on an NFL franchise’s locker room, TMZ reports. In fact, Tisch reportedly said that his Giants would never agree to be featured on the HBO series.

“I don’t think it brings anything to the team,” Tisch told TMZ. “It’s a bit of a distraction and I think it’s sort of misleading for the players…especially the young guys.”

Tisch added that “all-access” dynamic associated with “Hard Knocks” sends the wrong message to young NFL players. “Even though it comes off as a documentary, you’re asking young athletes to perform. Perform on the field…don’t perform in the locker room for a TV show,” Tisch told TMZ. “I don’t think it’s in the players’ best interest.”

Still, Tisch admitted that “Hard Knocks” is entertaining—as long as the Giants aren’t involved. “It’s fun to watch. I’m very happy watching the Bengals and the Jets and other teams do it, but it’s really not in our culture.

This isn’t the first time that a New York Giants owner has stated his aversion for the “Hard Knocks” series. According to NESN, John Mara, Tisch’s co-owner, once claimed that the team would be featured on the HBO series “when I’m next to my father in Gates of Heaven cemetery.”

Regardless of Tisch’s comments, “Hard Knocks” is one of HBO’s longest-tenured series. The reality series first aired in 2001, and has featured the Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, and the Giants’ crosstown rivals, the New York Jets. The Cincinnati Bengals appear in the current incarnation of the show.