ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Sean Payton downplayed an incident that Seattle coach Mike Macdonald recently recounted while mic'd up for an interview, one that involved the Broncos coach accusing the Seahawks of cheating for using video in 2024.
Payton said Wednesday that he spoke with Macdonald.
“He and I are good,” Payton said after practice. “The conversation last night was good."
The situation came to light this week after an appearance by Macdonald on “In
Depth with Graham Bensinger.” A segment released on social media showed Macdonald talking with Bensinger about how the Seahawks scouted the Broncos through plays fans posted on social media in training camp. Seattle ended up beating Denver 26-20 on Sept. 8, 2024, as Bo Nix made his debut for the Broncos.
The coach of the reigning Super Bowl champions took full responsibility Wednesday for the clip.
"It’s something that I didn’t intend for public use,” Macdonald said. “It’s something they have to deal with in real time that wasn’t really on their end. That’s where you’re like, ‘Crap.’ It’s a lesson learned. I’ve got to be better in that moment for understanding, look, I’m responsible for what I say, no matter the circumstance, whether you’re mic’d up, whether you’re not, whether you have a certain type of understanding. I fell short in that moment. It stings for me, frankly.”
Macdonald said Payton “was great” when he reached out.
"I respect the heck out of him and his program. Always have,” Macdonald said. “I know we’re both looking forward to moving forward from it. I really appreciate how he handled it.”
The Seahawks and Broncos play on Oct. 15 in Denver.
“We’re pulling for them, except for one game," Payton said. “They’re playing our division.”
In the discussion with Bensinger, Macdonald explained that Payton's “not my biggest fan.” He said that leading into the 2024 game, the coach, then in his first season with Seattle, took about 100 plays from Denver’s training camp that had been posted on social media by fans. It was a way to scout them.
“He got wind of it and he lost it,” Macdonald said in the clip. “It’s like middle of the season. We won the game and we’re in the fight our first year."
Macdonald said Payton reached out to Seattle GM John Schneider and “basically threatened to come out publicly and do a whole Patriot ‘Spygate’ type of thing. I was sitting there like, ‘Oh my God, we didn’t cheat.’ He thought it was a Michigan thing where we had a plant and the whole thing.
“We had to counter with him, like, ‘Hey, look, if you come at us we’re going to sue you because it’s not true.’”
Macdonald said that although Payton backed down, the Broncos coach was still reaching out to Schneider. Macdonald explained his side to Schneider and how "that’s not how we do business,” he said. “Anyway, the season ends, and he let it go. It’s like the Cold War, ‘I’m going to hit the button. I’m going to hit the button. We’re going to hit the button.’ None of us hit the button.”
Macdonald said the two coaches later crossed paths in a hotel elevator during the NFL combine in Indianapolis.
“As soon as I opened the door, the floor that I’m at, here he comes,” Macdonald said in the clip. “He’s like, ‘Hey, coach.’ Totally backed down in that moment. I was like, ‘Oh, man.’”
On Wednesday, Payton said of the incident: “Obviously, I called shooting before I started looking. I could only do that with John because again, he’s someone I’ll have a beer with at the combine. I consider him a good friend.”
Asked if there was anything to clarify, Payton responded: “Nothing to clarify.”
In retrospect, Payton said Wednesday, the ordeal paid off for the Broncos, because it allowed the team to tighten up its policies in regard to fans and videos.
“It helped us," Payton said, “to some degree.”
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