Making good on a vow, Hue Jackson says he'll jump into Lake Erie

— -- BEREA, Ohio --? Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson strode to the podium for his Wednesday news conference, looked at the assembled media and said: "Who's going to jump in the lake with me?"

Jackson referred to his vow from a year ago that if the Browns went 1-15 again people would find him "swimming in that (Lake Erie)." His proactive approach defused a difficult topic.

"I made that statement," Jackson said. "I got to back it up."

Jackson technically could avoid the commitment if the Browns lose Sunday in Pittsburgh to finish 0-16, but Jackson said he would keep his word.?

"I got to," he said. "How? You just jump in. When? That's going to be at my convenience and hopefully I can get a lot of people to come out. 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 due on my word. I just think that's what you do."

Jackson said he will make the occasion about benefitting his foundation, which is building a residence in Cleveland that will open in the spring to provide housing for the victims of human trafficking.

By a time of his choosing, Jackson obviously will wait until the weather is warmer.

"I never said I could swim," Jackson said. "There will be some people down there to rescue me pretty quickly. So we'll make it fun. It's for the right reason (the foundation). Again, I don't take light to things that I say that I put out there. I like to back them up.

"I haven't been able to."

Jackson added that he has no reason to believe he will not return as Browns coach. Jimmy Haslam said Dec. 3 that Jackson would be back.

"I unequivocally believe without question that what Jimmy Haslam said is going to happen here," Jackson said. "There is nothing that anybody has said to me is making me feel differently."

Haslam said he believed Jackson and new general manager John Dorsey would work well together. Jackson has gone 1-15 and 0-15 since he joined the Browns.

"You can't sugarcoat it," Jackson said. "There's no way around it. The record is what it is. This is where we are so we got to find a way to climb out of this hole as fast as we can and get to where I think we should be."

Jackson also said he will not walk away from the Browns job.

"I've never quit at anything," he said. "I've never lost like this and I've never quit at anything. So if people are thinking I'm going to walk away from this, no."