The NFL announced that it could not substantiate the claims made by former Browns coach Hue Jackson that the front office incentivized him to lose games during his time with the franchise, the league said in a release on Monday.
The NFL revealed its findings after former Securities and Exchange Commission chair Mary Jo White and a team of lawyers at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP conducted a 60-day independent review. According to the league’s statement, Cleveland and owner Jimmy Haslem provided their full cooperation with the investigation.
“The investigation found no evidence to suggest that the Browns’ Four-Year Plan or the club’s ownership of 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 release said.