Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald addresses the Sean Payton controversy

Right now the biggest story of the week regarding the Seattle Seahawks is about their head coach Mike Macdonald and some recent comments he made. During a sit down with Graham Bensinger, Macdonald shared a story about how Broncos head coach Sean Payton accused him of cheating prior to their 2024 season opener against Denver. Seattle claimed victory in part due to the team scouting plays that Broncos fans unwittingly provided them by sharing recordings from training camp.

What has made this already juicy story into a bigger deal is the fact Macdonald and the Seahawks did not expect this information to be shared for public consumption according to NBC Sports. Macdonald was under the impression this was a seemingly private conversation between him and Bensinger, even if he didn’t explicitly state it was “off the record.” The Seahawks are not thrilled by this, and according to NBC’s Florio, it could get “ugly” between them and Bensinger.

Macdonald spoke with the media on Wednesday afternoon and he directly addressed the controversy. He said he apologized to Sean Payton about his comments, and took responsibility for his own words no matter the circumstances. Macdonald acknowledged it was a “lesson learned” and it “stings” for him falling short in the moment.

His full comments can be seen below:

Mike Macdonald on his comments regarding Sean Peyton comments captured on Graham Besinger show. @cascadiasports ⁦@Seahawks⁩ pic.twitter.com/CzMhsj84Lm

— MazvitaMaraire (@MazvitaMaraire) September 23, 2026

Macdonald did praise Sean Payton, both as a coach and how he handled reacting to this story.

This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald addresses the Sean Payton controversy