Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton treats football info like military secrets, so he went on offense against Seattle.
Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton has been known to have his share of feisty moments, and not just with media members and players who don't perform well and toe the party line. According to a piece by writers Andrew Destin, Nick Kosmider and Saad Yousuf of The Athletic, Payton accused the Seattle Seahawks of cheating back during the 2024 season, starting what the writers called a “Cold War” of sorts in which Seattle wound up threatening to sue.
It’s a remarkable story, so let’s go there. The Seahawks scouted video of approximately 100 plays posted by fans on social media from Broncost training camp practices, and they used them to prepare to play the Seahawks in the season opener that year.
MacDonald said those plays were “like public knowledge," and Seattle used them to get a 26-20 win over Denver in MacDonald’s first game as a head coach in the Week 1 opener.
Payton found out about the tactic later that season and he accused Seattle of breaking the rules. The coach also referenced other similar scandals like the New England Patriots’ Spygate scandal and the sign-stealing incident at Michigan that occurred back when MacDonald was working as the Wolverines defensive coordinator in 2021.
Payton then “lost it,” according to MacDonald, and he called up Seahawks GM John Scheider and threatened to go public with what happened. The counter was that the Seahawks threatened to sue the Broncos if he did that.
Welcome to sign-stealing in the age of social media and fan engagement.
The issue was resolved, but not without tension. Per MacDonald, the Cold War analogy was invoked in a quote in which he said that Payton said, “‘I’m gonna hit the button, [and] we’re like, ‘well, we’re gonna hit the button.’”
That button remained unused, but Broncos have been approached for comment on the story. It will be interesting see when Payton responds, but for the moment t’s likely that the old “cone of silence” has descended on the team’s facility. The team no longer allows fans to film practices, and signs that read “Protect our plays” have been posted near the bleachers.
The Seahawks also put this restriction on fans who attend practices, and they make specific announcements during different periods of practice. Other teams like the Dallas Cowboys allow fans to take film, which fits the philosophy of owner Jerry Jones, who views this sort of thing as part of the money-making circus he runs where there's no such thing as bad publicity.
The Broncos and Seahawks meet on Oct. 15 in Denver, so expect commentary from both teams as the game draws closer.
