Tag: Hue Jackson

Hue Jackson attempts to clarify claims on SportsCenter

Jackson’s almost 15-minute interview (included here) seeks to clarify what he experienced in Cleveland but does not seem to include the claim of “bonuses to tank”

Early this week, the NFL had a bombshell dropped with the filing of a lawsuit by Brian Flores. The Cleveland Browns seemingly got drug into the conversation by former head coach Hue Jackson. Jackson indicated via Twitter, in response to the executive director of his foundation, that he too was offered bonuses to tank.

The Browns organization responded with a strongly worded denial of Jackson’s claims.

The current Gambling State head coach then appeared on the Wednesday evening edition of ESPN’s SportsCenter. During the almost 15 minute interview, Jackson attempted to clarify his claims. He noted that he was presented a four-year plan that didn’t note winning until years three and four and that he was being paid to coach a team that was not set up to win.

Jackson did not state that he offered money to lose but that the organizations had bonuses for things that he believed did not lead to winning including things like having a very young roster.

As shared in Wednesday’s piece, Jackson reiterated that he had gotten a secret extension from Cleveland and lost a grievance against the team in arbitration.

You can see the entirety of the interview in the two clips below:

It seems possible that Jackson could attach himself to Flores’ lawsuit which could lead to his claims being addressed in court. Jackson continues to state that he has proof and that the NFL is aware that he has proof of his claims, perhaps stemming from the arbitration. What he considers proof could come into play in any legal proceeding.

Hue Jackson, Browns make conflicting statements regarding bonuses to tank

Hue Jackson made a bonus for tanking claim, the Browns have refuted it. Unless there is proof presented, we have a “He said, they said” situation:

The NFL has found itself in the midst of another controversy on Tuesday with the filing of a lawsuit by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores. The lawsuit is has a myriad of accusations involved with it including that Dolphins Stephen Ross offered Flores bonuses to lose games and the team winning under Flores may have cost him his job.

The idea of “tanking” to help a team rebuild is not new. The Cleveland Browns, under Sashi Brown, looked at building a winner as a long-term process that required a lot of draft picks and as high of draft picks as possible.

While a team would never announce that they are losing on purpose, the Browns plan under Brown was clear from the outside looking in.

Tuesday night, the head coach under Brown at that time, Hue Jackson, and the executive director of his foundation made claims that Cleveland also offered money for losses:

Jackson also replied to a fan challenging that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam would pay significant money for losses given Jackson 1-31 mark over the first two years:

Much as the Giants did shortly after Flores lawsuit, the Browns organization responded to Jackson’s claims Wednesday:

With Flores filing a lawsuit against the NFL, it is possible that Jackson and the Browns organization could become a part of it. Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports has also reported that Jackson lost a “confidential fraud grievance” against the Browns:

Some of the materials in Jackson’s possession stem from a confidential fraud grievance he brought against the Browns following his in-season firing in 2018. That grievance was handled by an arbitrator under the terms of the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement. That arbitrator ultimately ruled against Jackson, although the judgment was not considered a definitive determination of fact.

For now, Cleveland’s spokesperson has made a clear statement against what Jackson said. Unless there is proof presented, fans and media are left to debate a “He said, they said” situation.

The 13 worst coaching tenures in NFL history

From Hue Jackson to Urban Meyer to Bobby Petrino, Touchdown Wire ranks the rockiest coaching stints in league history.

The conclusion of the NFL regular season inevitably triggers an annual personnel bloodletting, as head coaches who failed to meet great expectations are dismissed.

So as this year’s class of fired coaches takes shape and those unfortunate figures are cast overboard as flotsam and jetsam, Touchdown Wire decided to rank the most disastrous coaching tenures in league history.

Hue Jackson, Urban Meyer, Bobby Petrino are just a few of the coaches who embarked with lofty goals only to watch them unravel in front of the entire sports world.

With all that in mind, we present a subjective list of the worst coaching tenures in NFL history. We factored team performance, level of dysfunction and bizarre happenings into our reasoning.

Did we overlook your favorite coaching failure? Add it to the comments section below.

Flashback Friday: 3-year anniversary of the end of Hue Jackson’s coaching run

It’s a happy anniversary for nearly everyone involved with football in Cleveland

Three years ago today, the Cleveland Browns made one of the most significant moves in the rebirth of good football in Northeast Ohio. On October 29th, 2018, Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam pulled the plug on the failed Hue Jackson experiment as the team’s head coach.

On the heels of a bad 33-18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers — coincidentally this week’s Browns foe — the team acquiesced to common sense and canned Jackson. He went 3-36-1 in two-plus seasons coaching the Browns, including the 0-16 debacle that was 2017. It’s the worst winning percentage for any head coach who lasted at least 40 games with a team in NFL history.

For nearly everyone associated with the Cleveland Browns, it’s a happy anniversary. In clearing out not just Jackson but also truculent offensive coordinator Todd Haley, the Browns cleared the deck for upward mobility and progress. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who famously clashed with Haley during that summer’s Hard Knocks, took over as the interim coach and immediately proved that even somewhat competent coaching proved a major difference. With Baker Mayfield learning the ropes as a rookie QB, Williams guided the Browns to a 5-3 record after inheriting the 2-5-1 mess Jackson left behind.

Eddie George adds former Buckeyes to Tennessee State coaching staff

Eddie George is putting together quite a coaching staff at Tennessee State which will include former Ohio State players.

Since being named head football coach at Tennessee State University, Eddie George has been busy trying to get the program in position to succeed. He landed a high-profile recruit from Texas A&M in the transfer porter recently and now he is putting together one heck of a coaching staff.

George has added some big names on the offensive and defensive side of the ball naming Brandon Fisher, son of former Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher as defensive coordinator, and Hue Jackson as his offensive coordinator. Jackson of course didn’t have a great run as a head coach in Cleveland but was very successful in Cincinnati as the OC.

George has also brought in some former Ohio State Buckeyes to round out his coaching staff. It was announced that Richard McNutt will be the defensive backs coach and Pepe Pearson has been named the running backs coach.

McNutt played for the Buckeyes in the early 2000s and has spent time coaching at Toledo, Kent State, Northern Illinois, and one year with the Browns in the NFL.

Pearson was teammates with George at OSU. He took the lead role in the backfield for the Bucks in 1996, the year after Eddie won the Heisman and rushed for over 1400 yards. Pearson has spent the previous five seasons as the running backs coach at Marshall University.

George is putting together quite a staff at TSU. With this kind of coaching talent, it may not be long before the Tigers are competing for championships. And we love to see a little scarlet and gray sprinkled across the college coaching landscape.

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Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.

Eddie George adds former Buckeyes to Tennessee State coaching staff

Eddie George is putting together quite a coaching staff at Tennessee State which will include former Ohio State players.

Since being named head football coach at Tennessee State University, Eddie George has been busy trying to get the program in position to succeed. He landed a high-profile recruit from Texas A&M in the transfer porter recently and he is putting together one heck of a coaching staff.

George has added some big names on the offensive and defensive side of the ball naming Brandon Fisher, son of former Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher as defensive coordinator, and Hue Jackson as his offensive coordinator. Jackson of course didn’t have a great run as a head coach in Cleveland, but was very successful in Cincinnati as the OC.

George has also brought in some former Ohio State Buckeyes to round out his coaching staff. It was announced that Richard McNutt will be the defensive backs coach and Pepe Pearson has been named the running backs coach.

McNutt played for the Buckeyes in the early 2000s and has spent time coaching at Toledo, Kent State, Northern Illinois and one year with the Browns in the NFL.

Pearson was teammates with George at OSU. He took the lead role in the backfield for the Bucks in 1996, the year after Eddie won the Heisman and rushed for over 1,400 yards. Pearson has spent the previous five seasons as the running backs coach at Marshall University.

George is putting together quite a staff at TSU. With this kind of coaching talent, it may not be long before the Tigers are competing for championships. And we love to see a little scarlet and gray sprinkled across the college coaching landscape.

[lawrence-related id=42797]

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.

The Browns wanted to select Mitchell Trubisky with 1st overall pick in 2017 NFL Draft

Former Browns HC Hue Jackson confirmed Cleveland wanted to select former Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky with the first overall pick in 2017.

Although quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is no longer a member of the Chicago Bears, the 2017 NFL Draft will forever be a talking point when it comes to missed opportunities for Bears GM Ryan Pace.

The decision to not only select Trubisky, but to move up one spot and trade draft assets has been the biggest mark against him during his tenure as general manager. But the decision was almost taken out of his hands completely, thanks to the Cleveland Browns.

Former Browns head coach Hue Jackson joined NFL insider Mike Silver and his daughter Natalie on the Pass it Down podcast to talk about the 2017 NFL Draft. The Browns were picking first overall and wound up with Pro Bowl defensive end Myles Garrett. Jackson explained that he was all-in on Garrett from the start, but said the Browns front office wanted to go in a different direction.

“At the time, there was divide between who should be the first pick,” Jackson said. “I wanted Myles Garrett and I’m an offensive coach. I didn’t think there was a quarterback worth being the first pick in the draft.”

Jackson, who coached the Browns from 2016-2018 and compiled a 3-36-1 record, went on to describe why he was enamored with Garrett. He then explains the front office wanted to select Trubisky instead.

“I was lock and barrel on Myles Garrett,” he said. “But there were others that were lock and barrel on Mitchell Trubisky and me being a quarterback guy, I did not want that. I liked Mitchell, but I didn’t think he was the first pick of the draft at quarterback. There were some rumblings about that and I think everybody knew that. There was truly divide. But the day of the draft, we obviously ended up picking Myles and rightfully so.”

During the pre-draft process, many experts believed the Browns would wind up taking Garrett, but those rumblings about Trubisky were always prevalent. Even after the draft, insiders believed the Browns were gearing up to trade up for Trubisky after picking Garrett, but the Bears beat them to it.

Interestingly enough, Jackson also said he didn’t find out Garrett was their pick until the day before the draft, which is a similar approach Pace took with the Bears when he reportedly refused to tell his coaching staff who he was selecting until the day of.

Chicago traded up one spot with the San Francisco 49ers to select Trubisky, and the rest is history. But if the Browns front office had their way, the entire landscape of the NFL could be drastically different. Instead, Garrett has become one of the best defensive players in the league for the Browns and Trubisky is now on the Buffalo Bills as a backup after a tumultuous career in Chicago.

Would the Bears have selected another quarterback if Trubisky wound up with the Browns? We’ll never truly know the answer, but Cleveland’s front office almost made us find out.

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The Browns wanted to select Mitchell Trubisky with 1st overall pick in 2017 NFL Draft

Former Browns HC Hue Jackson confirmed Cleveland wanted to select former Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky with the first overall pick in 2017.

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Although quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is no longer a member of the Chicago Bears, the 2017 NFL Draft will forever be a talking point when it comes to missed opportunities for Bears GM Ryan Pace.

The decision to not only select Trubisky, but to move up one spot and trade draft assets has been the biggest mark against him during his tenure as general manager. But the decision was almost taken out of his hands completely, thanks to the Cleveland Browns.

Former Browns head coach Hue Jackson joined NFL insider Mike Silver and his daughter Natalie on the Pass it Down podcast to talk about the 2017 NFL Draft. The Browns were picking first overall and wound up with Pro Bowl defensive end Myles Garrett. Jackson explained that he was all-in on Garrett from the start, but said the Browns front office wanted to go in a different direction.

“At the time, there was divide between who should be the first pick,” Jackson said. “I wanted Myles Garrett and I’m an offensive coach. I didn’t think there was a quarterback worth being the first pick in the draft.”

Jackson, who coached the Browns from 2016-2018 and compiled a 3-36-1 record, went on to describe why he was enamored with Garrett. He then explains the front office wanted to select Trubisky instead.

“I was lock and barrel on Myles Garrett,” he said. “But there were others that were lock and barrel on Mitchell Trubisky and me being a quarterback guy, I did not want that. I liked Mitchell, but I didn’t think he was the first pick of the draft at quarterback. There were some rumblings about that and I think everybody knew that. There was truly divide. But the day of the draft, we obviously ended up picking Myles and rightfully so.”

During the pre-draft process, many experts believed the Browns would wind up taking Garrett, but those rumblings about Trubisky were always prevalent. Even after the draft, insiders believed the Browns were gearing up to trade up for Trubisky after picking Garrett, but the Bears beat them to it.

Interestingly enough, Jackson also said he didn’t find out Garrett was their pick until the day before the draft, which is a similar approach Pace took with the Bears when he reportedly refused to tell his coaching staff who he was selecting until the day of.

Chicago traded up one spot with the San Francisco 49ers to select Trubisky, and the rest is history. But if the Browns front office had their way, the entire landscape of the NFL could be drastically different. Instead, Garrett has become one of the best defensive players in the league for the Browns and Trubisky is now on the Buffalo Bills as a backup after a tumultuous career in Chicago.

Would the Bears have selected another quarterback if Trubisky wound up with the Browns? We’ll never truly know the answer, but Cleveland’s front office almost made us find out.

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Hue Jackson claimed he was offered a secret contract extension during Browns 0-16 season

Totally normal.

You know it’s a weird time in the sports calendar when we’re re-litigating Hue Jackson’s coaching tenure with the Cleveland Browns three years after his firing.

But here we are.

The former Browns coach, who went 3-36 as a head coach in Cleveland, was a guest on ESPN 850 Monday, and he opened up a bit about his experience with Browns owner Jimmy Haslam. And by that, I mean that Jackson accused Haslam of lying quite a bit.

According to Jackson, the Browns actually offered him a contract extension during that winless 2017 season but wouldn’t let Jackson go public with the news. Just your normal, boilerplate secret contract extension.

Jackson said via Cleveland.com:

“I got a contract extension at 1-23, midway through the season. I wanted to go public with it, but the Browns didn’t.”

He continued:

“There’s no doubt I was lied to by ownership and leadership of the team. They were going to be football plus analytics, but it was football vs. analytics.”

Since parting ways with Jackson, the Browns have gone 22-18 and made the playoffs in 2020 for the first time since 2002.

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Hue Jackson: ‘I was lied to by ownership’ during his Browns coaching stint

Jackson also said he’s writing a tell-all book

Former Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson claims he was misled by ownership about the direction of the team among many incendiary points made during an interview with Cleveland’s ESPN Radio affiliate on Monday.

Jackson came out with guns blazing at several Browns-related entities, but most of them were squarely aimed at owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam.

“There’s no doubt I was lied to by ownership and leadership of the team,’’ Jackson said. “They were going to be football plus analytics, but it was football vs. analytics.’’

Jackson also revealed he received a contract extension during the middle of the winless 2017 season. He stated he earned it while his overall record was 1-23 at the time and that the Haslam’s didn’t want him to announce the deal, which would have extended him through the 2020 campaign.

Now writing a book about his experiences, Jackson believes he’s unfairly blamed for the 3-36-1 overall record during his time as head coach. He was fired midway through the 2018 season.

“I think I became the fall guy because that was the narrative,” Jackson said. “The truth needs to come out…for other minority coaches. They need to know the pitfalls out there. My story has affected some of their futures.’’

One other juicy tidbit: Jackson did admit that hiring Todd Haley as his offensive coordinator was “the biggest mistake I ever made.”