Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald confirmed that his comments about Broncos head coach Sean Payton in a recent interview were meant to be off the record during his Wednesday press conference.
In an interview with Graham Bensinger, Macdonald recounted Payton getting upset with the Seahawks for using fan-recorded videos from Denver’s training camp to prepare for a Week 1 game between the teams in 2024. Macdonald likened it to a “Cold War” with Payton referencing Spygate and the Seahawks countering with a threat to sue him if he went public with any accusations.
Macdonald said on Wednesday that the comments were made during a conversation before he thought the interview was being recorded and said there was a “certain type of understanding” about their use. Macdonald declined to discuss any conversations that might have taken place about how the video made it to the public, but said he reached out to Payton with an apology.
“It was something I didn’t intend to come out for public use,” Macdonald said. “Thought it was the most appropriate thing to reach out to Sean and really just apologize to him for having that be public when it wasn’t meant to. . . . It’s a lesson learned. I gotta be better in that moment for understanding I’m responsible for what I say no matter the circumstance.”
Macdonald said Payton was “awesome” in their conversation and the two men will have a chance to face off for the second time as head coaches in Week 6.