Back on topic:
Dee Haslam went into Lake Erie with Hue and the rest of the Browns personnel who went with him. I thought that was pretty cool of her to do.
https://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2018/06/hue_jackson_takes_his_lake_eri.htmlCLEVELAND, Ohio -- Hue Jackson had a watershed moment even before he took his Lake Erie Leap Friday afternoon.
It was when he became emotional while thanking Browns owner Dee Haslam and the 150 or so Browns employees who jumped in with him to benefit the Hue Jackson Foundation, which aims to combat human trafficking in Northeast Ohio.
The event raised $30,000, with Jackson donating $100 for every jumper and the Haslams matching.
"Those people have been with me every day," Jackson said afterward. "When you ... lose as many games as we have and you keep parking your car and walking into the building and have to see those faces each and every day, I carry them with me.
"I carry them and their families and this city with me, contrary to what anybody believes. It's on me. I wear it every day. So I just thank them for being a part of this because they didn't have to do this. They didn't have to come here and support this. I made the statement, and they said, 'No, I want to do this,' and I'm thankful."
With a Fox8 helicopter hovering over Huntington Beach in Bay Village and NFL Films on hand to capture it for Hard Knocks, Jackson grabbed his wife Michelle's hand and ran into the chilly lake, with temperatures about 52 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
Dee Haslam grabbed Michelle's other hand and ran in too, with the horde of employees following. They all fully submerged for the cause.
"It was refreshing but it was cold, there's no doubt about that,'' said Jackson, whose young daughter, Haydyn, went in, earning a big bearhug from her dad, as did Haslam.
The Lake Erie Leap, all in good fun and for a great cause, was not without its hilarious moment. Jackson, who hates the water and had never been anywhere near Lake Erie -- not even in a boat -- almost lost his swim trunks upon impact, but quickly recovered when he popped up.
The jump, which made good on Jackson's vow after the 2016 to 'swim in the lake' if he went 1-15 again, was a symbolic washing away of 0-16, and Jackson's co-workers made sure he was properly doused. They splashed him like a bunch of fourth-graders at the community pool on opening weekend.
Invigorated by the cold blast, he thrust his fists into the air while waist-deep in the water and shouted "No more freakin' losing! Let's go.''
The group -- all clad in "The Cleanse" T-shirts which can be purchased for $29 to benefit the foundation -- remained in the water for just a few minutes, with plenty of high-fiving, hugs, fist-pumps and laughs.
"For me, it's going to turn the page," said Jackson. "I didn't come here to lose. I'll be the first to tell you that.
"Our players don't deserve it, our fans surely don't deserve in and people in our organization doesn't deserve it. You guys don't deserve it, you want to cover a good team. So the narratives right now are all negative, and how do we get them to be positive?
"Winning is what's going to change it all, nothing else is going to. So that's what we have to do.''
For Dee Haslam, getting wet was a show of solidarity for her embattled coach.
"The last couple years have been terrible for us and been really terrible for our fans,'' she said afterwards. "We take that responsibility and feel horrible about it because Northeast Ohio and the fans of the Cleveland Browns deserve so much more. So we're going to ... do everything we can, as we've said, to make this a winning organization.
"I think you've seen the steps we've taken, the players look great. We were in the facility today and got the chance to spend some time with the players and they're very fired up and working really hard.''
The Haslams, despite the 1-31 record, gave Jackson a vote of confidence by firing former head of football operations Sashi Brown and hiring John Dorsey.
Jackson has appreciated the support, and the matching donation for a cause near and dear to the Jacksons' hearts. The coach declined to elaborate on the origin of his commitment.
"Jimmy and Dee Haslam have been supporters of mine since I've been here," he said. "They've never wavered, not one bit. I know people don't understand that or think that's the way it should be, but they've been as supportive as anybody I've ever been around on all fronts.''
Jackson wanted to send a message to the fans hat he's sorry for what they've had to endure. He chose to make the event on a Friday so that OTAs would be over and players wouldn't feel obligated to join him.
"I didn't want to make them feel like they were required to do this,'' he said. "The biggest part for me is just watching everyone in our organization come and be a part of this and support this.''
Jackson glanced at the helicopter overhead and acknowledged, "this is more than I anticipated it would be, but this is outstanding. Let's put this behind us.
"We all want to get to winning and get that stadium, and get the Dawg Pound rocking like it should be and get back to winning football games here and make Cleveland a feared place to come to.''
Jackson couldn't make good on his promise in January due to a stent placed in his heart in 2014.
"I don't think people get that there's still life or death here that you have to deal with. But that's real.''
Above all, he's not making any more promises.
"I would be surprised (by another 0-16),'' he said. "And I wouldn't be standing here if that was happening again, let me put it to you like that."
He's hoping the next time he jumps, it's for joy.
