Macdonald says Payton remarks were off the record, apologizes
The short version
- Mike Macdonald said his Sean Payton comments were meant to be off the record
- The remarks were made in an interview with Graham Bensinger before Macdonald thought recording had started
- Macdonald apologized to Payton, who he called 'awesome' in their conversation
- The two head coaches meet again in Week 6
Seattle's head coach said his comments about Sean Payton were never meant to become public and that he personally apologized to the Broncos coach.
Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald told reporters Wednesday that controversial remarks he made about Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton were never supposed to be made public, and that he has apologized to Payton directly.
The comments came during a sit-down with interviewer Graham Bensinger. Speaking before he realized the conversation was being recorded, Macdonald described a dispute from before a 2024 Week 1 matchup between the Seahawks and Broncos, when Payton grew angry that Seattle had studied fan-shot footage from Denver's training camp. Macdonald compared the episode to a 'Cold War,' saying Payton invoked Spygate and that the Seahawks responded by threatening legal action over any public accusations.
Addressing the matter Wednesday, Macdonald said there had been a 'certain type of understanding' about how those remarks would be handled and declined to detail any talks about how the video surfaced. He said the right move was contacting Payton to say sorry for material reaching the public, calling it a lesson learned and acknowledging he is accountable for his words regardless of the situation.
Macdonald added that Payton handled the exchange well, describing him as 'awesome.' The two coaches are set to oppose each other for the second time in their current roles in Week 6.
