NFL unable to substantiate Hue Jackson's claim that Browns incentivized tanking

The NFL was unable to substantiate former Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson's allegations of incentivized tanking following a 60-day review, the league announced Monday.

"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 wrote in a statement.

Jackson tweeted in February that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam offered him "a good number" to lose games from 2016-17. He later recanted those claims.

The Browns cooperated with the probe, which saw Haslam and members of the organization interviewed. The league added that Jackson didn't meet with investigators despite previously agreeing to do so.

Cleveland remained adamant throughout the process that Jackson's allegations were fabricated.

"We appreciate the independent investigation led by Mary Jo White and the Debevoise team, which brings closure to these allegations that Hue Jackson publicly recanted shortly after they were made and that we've known all along are categorically false," the Browns wrote in a statement.

They added: "As we've previously stated, we welcomed this investigation because the integrity of our game is something that should not be taken lightly, and an independent review was crucial in bringing a conclusion to this matter."

Jackson, who's currently the head coach of Grambling State, posted a 1-31 record over his first two seasons with the Browns from 2016-17. Cleveland fired him midway through the 2018 campaign.

Copyright (C) 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.