Earlier this year, former Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson accused the team of tanking and hinted that they incentivized him to lose games. The Browns were obviously not pleased about the allegation, and they threatened to stop paying Jackson if he did not back down.
The Browns still owe Jackson an undisclosed amount of money from when they fired him in 2018. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk obtained a copy of a letter the Browns had a law firm send to Jackson five days after he made his tanking allegation in early February. The letter demanded that Jackson “immediately cease and desist from making any further comments suggesting that anyone involved with the Browns organization sought to lose games while you where the head coach.”
The letter also stated that the Browns “reserve all rights to seek relief against you” if Jackson continued to breach the release agreement he signed after he was fired.
The NFL announced this week that it could not substantiate the tanking claims. Jackson initially agreed to meet with investigators but then never did. Sports Illustrated reported that Jackson wanted assurances from the NFL that he would have protections if the Browns pursued claims against him, such as trying not to pay the remainder of his settlement.
In a pair of posts on Twitter in February, Jackson strongly implied that the Browns offered him money to lose games. When pressed for details, he seemingly backed away from that allegation and more vaguely said the Browns “intended to lose” while he was employed with them.
It is fair to wonder if the possibility of losing money factored into Jackson’s decision-making.
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