Tanking allegations made by ex-Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson can't be substantiated, independent review shows

The NFL said Monday that an independent review found «no evidence» to substantiate allegations made by former Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson that the the team intentionally lost games in the 2016 and '17 seasons.

Jackson was fired by Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam eight games into the 2018 season with a 3-36-1 overall record.

In February, Jackson indicated in a series of posts on social media that the team paid him bonuses incentivizing him to lose and that he was set up to fail. Jackson later softened those allegations.

The NFL announced that after a 60-day review, independent investigators led by former Securities and Exchange Commission chair Mary Jo White «determined that none of the allegations could be substantiated.»

The league said that Jackson initially agreed to meet with the investigators, but ultimately did not. The league said Jimmy Haslam was interviewed, as were as other current and former members of the organization.

The Browns didn't immediately respond for comment on the findings. They had denied Jackson's allegations since they were made.

«Even though Hue recanted his allegations a short time after they were made, it was important to us and to the integrity of the game to have an independent review of the allegations,» a team spokesman said in April. «These allegations are categorically false.

Jackson is now the coach at Grambling State.