Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton accused the Seattle Seahawks of cheating during the 2024 season and Seattle threatened a lawsuit in response, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said.
The Broncos lost 26-20 to the host Seahawks in the season opener on Sept. 8, 2024, which was Macdonald’s debut as head coach.
Macdonald gave his account of what happened during a recent appearance on the “In Depth with Graham Bensinger” podcast, with a clip surfacing on Tuesday.
In preparation for the 2024 game, Seahawks coaches scouted about 100 plays from Broncos training camp that had been shared by fans on social media.
“It’s like public knowledge,” Macdonald said.
At some point during the season, Payton learned of the scouting, contacted Seattle general manager John Schneider and accused the Seahawks of rules violations, Macdonald said. The Broncos coach referenced the New England Patriots’ Spygate scandal and the University of Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal, Macdonald said.
“He got wind of it, and he lost it,” said Macdonald, who was defensive coordinator at Michigan for one season in 2021. “He called John (Schneider). He basically threatened to come out publicly and do a whole Patriot, like Spygate type of thing. And I’m sitting there thinking, ‘Oh my God, we didn’t cheat.’ He thought it was a Michigan thing, or we had a plant and the whole thing.
“So, we had to counter with him to say, ‘Hey, look, if you come out with this, we’re going to sue you, because it’s not true.’ … He backed down, but he was killing John, our GM.”
Macdonald denied the allegation when Schneider asked him, telling him, “That’s not how we do business.”
The Seattle coach said on the podcast that Payton had “let it go” by the end of the season.
“But it was like the Cold War,” Macdonald said. “He’s like, ‘I’m going to hit the button. I’m going to hit the button.’ ‘Well, we’re going to hit the button.’ None of us hit the button.”
Macdonald said Payton was courteous when they were at the NFL Scouting Combine the following spring in Indianapolis.
The teams play in Denver on Oct. 15 in a Thursday night game.
The Seahawks do not allow fans to record video at training camp practices. The Broncos have not allowed fans to record practice the past two summers, The Athletic reported.
Macdonald, 39, now in his third season, led the Seahawks to the Super Bowl title last season, 29-13 over the Patriots.
Payton, 62, is in his fourth season as head coach of the Broncos after guiding the New Orleans Saints from 2006-21, including the Super Bowl championship in the 2009 season.
