"Was never offered money" - Former Browns HC Hue Jackson backtracks on claim of receiving incentives to tank
Former Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson was the first former or current NFL head coach to publicly side with Brian Flores when he sued the NFL for alleged racism.
Flores alleged the Miami Dolphins owner offered him $100K for every game they lost in 2019. Jackson tweeted Tuesday, hinting that the Browns offered him money to tank in the 2017 season.
@ericj_d Trust me it was a good number!
Jackson retracted his statement in an interview with CNN that was published Saturday. In contrast to a tweet he posted Tuesday, Hue Jackson told CNN that the franchise never offered money to lose games. He somewhat contradicted himself by saying his experience was different but shared similarities.
"No, I was never offered money like Brian (Flores) had mentioned," Jackson said. "I think this is a totally different situation but has some similarities."
Hue Jackson going back on his tweet is a surprising twist in a fast-paced, developing storyline. Jackson elaborated that there was a four-year plan by owner Jimmy Haslam when he signed.
"When you talk about incentivizing a four-year plan that led to the team not being able to play as well, that people benefited off of that -- that's different. But at the same time, it has some of the same similarities to it," Jackson said, referring to Flores' situation."
According to Jackson, Haslam's plan didn't mention wins until year three. For an NFL owner to not even think about winning games for two consecutive seasons is outrageous and goes against the NFL's competitive nature.
In the 2016 and 2017 seasons, Jackson's Browns were 1-31. He was released halfway through his third season without ever truly having had a chance to turn the team around after he led them through their darkest times.
Hue Jackson, the former head coach of the Cleveland Browns, said Friday that he was not paid to lose games when he led the NFL team, but said his situation had similarities to that of Brian Flores cnn.it/3J2h5mU
Hue Jackson siding with Brian Flores is alarming news for the NFL
It's fair to question how much Jackson's changing story impairs his credibility. Nonetheless, Jackson is just one of many former and current head coaches in the NFL that could join Flores' cause.
We've already begun to see players speak out on racial injustices in the NFL, such as Tyrann Mathieu. One of Jackson's former players, Jason McCourty, came out Saturday claiming the Browns weren't trying to win games in 2017.
Jason McCourty: "I was in Cleveland in 2017, there's no way we were trying to win." in reference to asking Hue Jackson to tank the season.
#Browns
The NFL initially declined to investigate Flores' case, stating that his claims "are without merit." They went back against that initial statement, realizing this was an issue they couldn't just sweep underneath the rug.
The NFL is preparing for its most prominent week of the year, the Super Bowl. All eyes are watching the league and how they'll handle this case. The more players and coaches like McCourty and Jackson speak out, the more the NFL's owners begin to sweat.