Hue Jackson Says He 'Failed Tremendously' in Tenure as Browns Head Coach

Former Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson had depression after his firing Oct. 29, saying he felt he had "failed tremendously."

Sports Illustrated's Greg Bishop dove deep into Jackson's post-Browns life for a story published Thursday:

"Jackson accepts that he could have built better relationships with his assistants, set a clearer tone. He knows in his heart that when a team loses 31 games in two years it does so together, that it’s never just one person at fault. But he also accepts that he was the face of those teams and that he has to live with it. 'I failed tremendously,' he says. 'Regardless of how you look at it.'

"Ultimately, it wasn’t the public response that stung Jackson worst. Sure, he hated when [his nine-year-old daughter] Haydyn was teased by classmates at school or when strangers lit him up online. But Clevelanders, for the most part, remained friendly, as he tells it. They would console him at the gym or in the airport, telling him he’d laid the foundation for the team’s impending success, that he’d handled himself the right way, that they were proud of how he’d picked himself up, week after terrible week. What else would they say, standing right in front of him? It didn’t matter, though. The losses—those are what really bother Hue Jackson."

The 53-year-old took over as Cleveland's head coach in 2016. His record in the 40 games afterward is well-known by now: 3-36-1, including a winless 2017 campaign. After Jackson was relieved of his duties by the Browns, he joined Cincinnati as a special assistant on Nov. 13.

Following the Browns' 26-18 loss to the Bengals on Nov. 25, Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield made known his low opinion of Jackson opting to help a division rival:

Speaking with Bishop, Jackson admitted he didn't "develop the same depth of relationship" with the 2018 top overall pick as he had with past quarterbacks. He also defended his decision to join the Bengals' sideline: 

"Jackson sees it differently. He was depressed, his wife was worried about him and his best friend did him a solid. 'I needed that jolt,' he says. '[Former Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis] helped me. What he did wasn’t about football. I don’t know what would have happened had he not.'"

What happens from here for Jackson is also unclear. He commented in July that he still wants to be a head coach in the NFL, and while he did interview for the Bengals head coaching job and Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator job in January, he wasn't hired.  

As for the Browns, the future is bright post-Jackson. With rookie head coach Freddie Kitchens, Mayfield, Myles Garrett and additions such as Odell Beckham Jr., Cleveland is favored to win the division for the first time since 1989.