Former NFL Head Coach Hue Jackson claims he was also financially incentivized to lose during Browns tenure
Hue Jackson, former head coach of the Cleveland Browns, delivered a bombshell in the wake of former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores' lawsuit against the NFL alleging "racism in hiring."
Former Miami HC Brian Flores is suing the NFL, the Giants, the Dolphins and the Broncos for alleged “racism in hiring”, and he includes texts from Patriots’ HC Bill Belichick in the suit as evidence. Lawsuit filed in Manhattan Federal Court seeking unspecified damages from NFL.
Flores recently acknowledged that Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him $100,000 bonus for every loss in 2019 in an attempt to tank for the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Hue Jackson is now telling a similar story of how Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam also offered him money to lose games. When a fan tweeted to ask Jackson how much money he was offered, he responded with the following:
"Trust me, it was a good number."
@ericj_d Trust me it was a good number!
Jackson was recently hired as head coach of the Grambling State Tigers. Grambling University is an HBCU (historically black colleges and universities) located in Grambling, Louisiana.
Will Hue Jackson become involved in Brian Flores' lawsuit?
Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores has filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL and all 32 teams with allegations of racial discrimination pertaining to the league's hiring practices.
Flores cited a situation in which Patriots head coach Bill Belichick mistakenly texted him a message meant for former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. The message in question congratulated Daboll on his appointment as the New York Giants head coach and was sent three days prior to Flores' scheduled interview.
Flores was a guest on CBS Mornings and had this to say:
"We're at a fork in the road right now. We're either gonna keep it the way it is or we're gonna go in another direction and actually make some real change."
Former Dolphins coach Brian Flores, whose lawsuit accuses the NFL of racism in hiring coaches, tells #CBSMornings: “We’re at a fork in the road right now. We’re either gonna keep it the way it is, or we’re gonna go in another direction and actually make some real change.” https://t.co/8n4nTBlPIc
Flores also stated the following, which summing up his decision to pursue the lawsuit and likely end his coaching career in the NFL:
"It’s hard to speak out…but this is bigger than football. This is bigger than coaching."
For clarity, Flores was head coach of the Miami Dolphins for three seasons. During his first season, he led the rebuilding team to a record of 5-11, with little to work with, in large part due to the previous regime's ineptitudes.
In his second season coaching Flores led the team to a 10-6 record even with a rookie quarterback (Tua Tagovailoa) and the various obstacles posed by COVID-19. One of the obstacles being the cancellation of pre-season practices.
During his last season with the team, the Dolphins went 9-8 after starting the season at 1-7, a remarkable feat. Flores was then terminated after the season ended.
Not only does the law-suit bring to light the former head coach's struggles, it also exemplifies the greater issue of the NFL's potentially prejudiced hiring practises. Currently, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is the only African-American head coach in the league.
As for Hue Jackson, his support of Flores is evident. It remains to be seen whether or not he will be called to testify or provide documentation of any sort, but it's likely he will have no problem obliging.