NFL delivers its verdict on Hue Jackson's Browns tanking allegations

Hue Jackson and his claims of tanking while head coach of the Cleveland Browns couldn’t be substantiated according to the NFL. A statement disclosed by the league stated that an independent investigation found no substance to the accusations.

It also noted that the former Browns head coach originally said he would work with the investigation but then made the decision not to do so.

The NFL said that none of the allegations made by the former head coach could be proven after extensively looking into his comments:

“Following a 60-day independent review into comments made by former Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson, that the Browns paid or otherwise provided incentives to lose games during the 2016-17 seasons, former U.S. Attorney and SEC Chair Mary Jo White and a team of lawyers from the Debevoise firm determined that none of the allegations could be substantiated.”

It also went on to say that the investigation didn’t uncover any proof the Browns made decisions to increase the team’s odds to acquire a better draft position:

“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 concluded their statement with:

“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.”

Jackson and His Time with the Browns

Cleveland Browns v Cincinnati Bengals

He spent three seasons on the sidelines for the Browns from 2016 up to his mismissal eight games into the 2018 season. The team went 3 – 36 – 1 in his time there, including going winless in the 2017 season.

The 56-year-old is currently the head coach at Grambling State University in Grambling, Louisiana. The team plays in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). We’ll see if the investigation will impact him getting another opportunity to coach in the NFL.

The verdict is good news for Cleveland, who will be looking to put an end to the speculation. Last season, the Browns went 8-9 and finished third in the AFC North.

With the addition of Deshaun Watson, they have a lot of talent on both sides of the football. Cleveland will be looking to win the division with a view of going all the way in 2022.