CLEVELAND — The NFL has concluded their 60-day independent review into claims of tanking made by former Cleveland Browns' Head Coach Hue Jackson. The Browns were not found to have been a part of any wrongdoing.
In a statement released by former U.S. Attorney and SEC Chair Mary Jo White and a team of lawyers from the Debevoise firm released Monday evening:
"Following a 60-day independent review into comments made by former Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson that the Browns paid or otherwise provided incentives to lose games during the 2016-17 seasons, former U.S. Attorney and SEC Chair Mary Jo White and a team of lawyers from the Debevoise firm determined that none of the allegations could be substantiated."
The Browns infamously won only one game in the 2016 (1-15) and 2017 (0-16) seasons.
Jackson raised eyebrows when he implied that was paid by the Browns to lose games during the 2016-17 seasons. He quickly clarified those statements in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper saying he wasn't directly paid with the intent to lose game purposefully.
That, however, didn't stop the NFL from opening an investigation into Jackson's claims.
The statement continued:
"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 review included the cooperation of Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, current and former members of the Browns organization.
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Editor's note: The video above is from an unrelated story announcing the Browns new radio announce team published on April 27, 2022.
