The Browns hope the NFL's investigation closes the book on the Hue Jackson era. (Sports Illustrated)
NFL deals Hue Jackson another loss and concludes his allegations of Browns tanking were unsubstantiated
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Tack another loss on Hue Jackson’s record.
The NFL sided with the Browns after an investigation reviewed Jackson’s allegations that Browns management deliberately tanked during the 2016-17 seasons.
The Browns were 1-31 in those seasons and Jackson believes he was set up by management to fail and it killed his reputation.
Jackson said on 850 ESPN Cleveland in March of 2021 that owner Jimmy Haslam rewarded him for losing when his contract option was picked up halfway during the 0-16 season in 2017.
Jackson re-upped his allegations in February after former Dolphins coach Brian Flores sued the Dolphins and two other teams for racial hiring practices. In the suit, Flores alleged that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him $100,000 for every loss.
In support of Flores, Jackson did a series of national interviews. Subsequently, he clarified he was not paid to lose but rather the Browns offered a bonus plan based on collecting draft assets, keeping the roster young, and other factors that did not help the team to win games.
The league’s investigation was led by former Securities and Exchange Commission chair Mary Joe White and was assisted by lawyers from the Debevoise firm.
“The investigation found no evidence to suggest that the Browns' Four-Year Plan or the club's ownership or football personnel sought to lose or incentivized losses and made no decisions deliberately to weaken the team to secure a more favorable draft position,” the NFL said in a statement.
“The comprehensive review included the full cooperation of the Browns and interviews with Jimmy Haslam and current and former members of the organization. While Coach Jackson initially agreed to meet with the investigators, he ultimately did not do so.
“Although unable to speak directly to Coach Jackson, the Debevoise team had access to his public statements and to his filings and testimony in a prior arbitration proceeding. The club also produced thousands of pages of documents, including emails, texts, internal memos and presentation decks as well as other material relating to club operations and the filings and testimony in the arbitration proceeding between the club and Coach Jackson."
The Browns were happy to close the book on what they hope is the final chapter of the Jackson era. He was fired after going 2-5-1 in 2018, which brought his record to 3-36-1.
The Browns issued the following statement:
“We appreciate the independent investigation led by Mary Jo White and the Debevoise team which bring closure to these allegations that Hue Jackson publicly recanted shortly after they were made and that we’ve known all along are categorically false. As we’ve previously stated, we welcomed this investigation because the integrity of our game is something that should not be taken lightly and an independent review was crucial in bringing a conclusion to this matter.”
Jackson is now the head coach at Grambling State University.
