Browns coach Hue Jackson is actually going to jump in Lake Erie and here's why

The Browns coach is definitely a man of his word

Hue Jackson might not get to taste victory this year, but he's definitely going to taste the fresh water of Lake Erie and that's because he's going to be jumping in the great lake at some point during the offseason. 

The Browns coach confirmed on Wednesday that he's going to stick to a promise that he originally made back in January. 

After the Browns lost their 2016 season finale to drop to 1-15, Jackson made a statement that he's probably somewhat regretting at this point. The Browns coach was so confident that his team would improve in 2017 that he promised to jump in Lake Erie if they went 1-15 again. 

"We're not going to do that," Jackson said of going 1-15 again back on Jan. 2. "We're not going 1-15. I'll be swimming in the lake over there or somewhere. That's not happening. I just know me too well. I know me and I know these guys too well. We put out this front where we are -- we're not going 1-15 next year. You can write it, Hue Jackson said it, if you like."

With the Browns set to go either 1-15 or 0-16 this year, Jackson was asked Wednesday if he's going to fulfill his promise. 

"So how many people are jumping in the lake with me?" Jackson said, via the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "Obviously I've got to get wet. I get it. I can pick a day and get everyone out there, we'll all be in swimsuits and trunks and snorkels and all that."

When Jackson says he's going to pick a day, it sounds like his plan is to wait for the warmest day of the offseason. 

"That's going to be at my convenience," Jackson said about when the jump will happen. "And hopefully I can get a lot of people to come out."

A big reason Jackson is going to go through with the jump is because he wants to raise money for his foundation, which he established to help combat human trafficking. 

"It'll definitely be for my foundation, there's no question about that," Jackson said. "It'd be something that we're going to make special. I don't like it, don't like to do it for the reason why I'm having to do it, but I have to make do on my word. I just think that's what you do. I do get that. I made a statement, I gotta back it up. That's the type of person I am, so that's what we have to do."

There was actually a loophole here that Jackson could have taken advantage of. The Browns coach said he would jump in the lake if his team went 1-15 again, which means he wouldn't necessarily have to jump if they went 0-16. However, Jackson clearly has no plans to take advantage of that loophole because he sounds like a guy who's definitely ready to jump in the lake. 

The one thing that could potentially keep Jackson from jumping in the lake would be if he got fired, but he doesn't think that's going to happen. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam promised in early December that Jackson would return in 2018 and the coach feels pretty confident that Haslam is going to stick to his word. 

"I unequivocally believe that what Jimmy Haslam said is going to happen,'' Jackson said. "Jimmy has never wavered. He's always been supportive of me, him and Dee Haslam."

If the Browns do lose to the Steelers on Sunday, they'll become just the second team in NFL history (along with the 2008 Lions) to finish a season 0-16.