Per Liz Mullen, Roc Nation Sports has signed its first coaching client, Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson. Jackson will be represented by agent John Thornton, who also represented him when Thornton worked at Octagon.
Thornton, who negotiated Jackson’s four-year deal with the Browns in January 2016, left Octagon for Roc Nation three months later.
The two worked together when Thorton was a defensive lineman for the Cincinnati Bengals in the early 2000s and Jackson coached the wide receivers. Jackson would invite players from the team to dinner every Thursday, and Thornton was among those who attended.
Roc Nation will represent Jackson for endorsements as well as coaching contracts. “It’s a full-service deal,” Thornton said. “But you have to win to get those things,” he added.
Thornton thinks Jackson has the abilities to turn around the Browns 1-15 season from last year, however, in part because of the way he is able to work with players.
“Even the guys who leave there, they say, ‘Listen, we think he’s going to turn it around,’” Thornton said. “I’ve seen it personally, just being a player. He can discipline, he can be strict with you, but then after that it’s ‘Let’s get something to eat,’ and the players respect it.”
Jackson joins Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant and Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette as Roc Nation clients, as well as stars in other sports, such as Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors and Robinson Cano of the Seattle Mariners.