A hundred practice clips and a grudge
Around a hundred. That’s how many Broncos practice plays Seattle’s staff pulled from fan videos on social media before facing Denver back in 2024. Sean Payton still hasn’t let it go.
The Seahawks beat his Broncos 26-20 on September 8, 2024, in what doubled as a winning debut for new head coach Mike Macdonald. Two years on, Macdonald finally explained what happened behind the scenes, in a clip released Tuesday from the podcast “In Depth with Graham Bensinger.” His defense of the tactic was simple. “It’s public information,” he said.
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Spygate comparisons and a legal threat
Payton didn’t see it that way. Once he caught wind of it during the 2024 season, he called Seattle general manager John Schneider directly, accusing the Seahawks of breaking the rules. He reportedly reached for the biggest comparisons available, the Patriots’ Spygate scandal and Michigan’s sign-stealing saga, two sagas that rattled American sports in recent memory.
Seattle didn’t back down. When Payton threatened to take the story public, the Seahawks countered by raising the possibility of legal action. Neither side blinked, and neither side talked. The whole affair stayed private, until now.
Round two comes October 15
Macdonald insists the tension has cooled since then. Still, he called it something close to a “Cold War” between the two franchises. Denver hosts Seattle again on October 15, a Thursday Night Football rematch that won’t lack for storylines.
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