The Cleveland Browns did not want to get themselves caught up in another scandal following their disappointing 2021 season.
Unfortunately, mere weeks after Cleveland’s campaign came to a conclusion, the long-downtrodden organization is back in the news for the wrong reasons.
Former Browns head coach Hue Jackson took to social media Monday evening to claim that owner Jimmy Haslam was happy thay were losing during his tenure as a way to get a better NFL Draft picks. Jackson also claims that Haslam offered him some cash for losses (read the eye-opening story here).
All of this comes on the heels of former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores suing the NFL and its 32 teams — claiming systemic racism in the league’s head coach interviewing process.
In said lawsuit, Flores also claims that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him $100,000 for every loss during the 2019 season in order to acquire the top pick in the 2020 NFL Draft (Joe Burrow).
As for the Browns, they released a statement in defiance of Jackson’s claims.
Related: Cleveland Browns 2022 season opponents revealed
Cleveland Browns strongly deny tanking allegations
“The recent comments by Hue Jackson and his representatives relating to his tenure as our head coach are completely fabricated,” a team spokesperson said in a statement, via Cleveland.com. “Any accusation that any member of our organization was incentivized to deliberately lose games is categorically false.”
This denial comes after a colleague of Jackson’s, Kimberly Diemert, also accused the Browns of offering up bonuses to Jackson for losing during the 2016 season. Diemert claims she has records backing Flores up. That 2016 season saw Cleveland post a league-worst 1-15 ercord en route to acquiring the No. 1 pick the following season (Myles Garrett).
All said, the Browns boasted a disastrous 3-36-1 record under Jackson. That included going winless during the 2017 campaign. These claims also suggest that the Cleveland Browns offered Jackson bonuses to tank during the aforementioned 0-16 season. That performances resulted in the selection of Baker Mayfield with the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Related: Stephen Ross’ role in Brian Flores allegations
There’s a whole heck of a lot to look at. Flores’ lawsuit against the NFL and the teams was under the umbrella of a class-action, meaning other plaintiffs can join in. It sure looks like Jackson might end up taking part in the lawsuit.
Two sources close to former Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson said Wednesday that Jackson has made arrangements to speak with Flores’ attorneys about the suit as early as today.
“The sources also said Jackson has expressed a willingness to provide both testimony and materials to the class action suit, alleging that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam financially incentivized “tanking” for draft position through the use of a bonus structure during the 2016 and 2017 seasons, when Cleveland went 1-31.
Yahoo! Sports Charles Robinson’s report (Feb. 2, 2022)
As for the allegations from Flores, the NFL responded in quick fashion Tuesday. For some, it might have been a tad too quick given that any investigation from the league had to be considered short-lived. “
“The NFL and our clubs are deeply committed to ensuring equitable employment practices and continue to make progress in providing equitable opportunities throughout our organizations. Diversity is core to everything we do, and there are few issues on which our clubs and our internal leadership team spend more time. We will defend against these claims, which are without merit.”
NFL’s response to Brian Flores allegations (Feb. 1, 2022)
This is a scandal that continues to grow. If proven true, these allegations against the Cleveland Browns could have wide-ranging ramifications for the organization. That includes the potential suspension or removal of Jimmy Haslam himself.
Stay tuned!