Seahawks coach apologizes to Payton for comments: 'Lesson learned'

Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said Wednesday he called Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton and apologized for comments he made in a published video that went viral Tuesday.

In video that surfaced from an appearance on "In Depth With Graham Bensinger," Macdonald said the Broncos wrongfully accused Seattle of cheating in their preparation for the 2024 season opener and that Payton ultimately backed off after the Seahawks threatened a lawsuit if Denver went public with the allegation.

On Wednesday he said the comments were "something that I didn't intend for public use," and indicated he didn't believe that cameras were rolling at the time. However, he said that's not important and that "it's fair to say if I'm talking, I'm responsible for what I'm saying."

"I thought it was the most appropriate thing to reach out to Sean and really just apologize to him for having that be public where it wasn't meant to [be]," Macdonald said Wednesday.

Macdonald said, "it's a lesson learned, honestly."

"I've got to be better in that moment for understanding I'm responsible for what I say no matter the circumstance. Whether you're mic'ed up, whether you're not it's a certain type of understanding, and I fell short in that moment. It stings for me frankly but it's something that I'm definitely going to learn from and it's just a good example that we've got to take responsibility for the things that we say."

Macdonald said he really appreciated how Payton handled his apology.

The 2024 opener was Macdonald's first game as Seattle's coach. The Seahawks won 26-20, holding Denver to 231 total yards in Broncos quarterback Bo Nix's NFL debut.

Macdonald said in the video that surfaced that the Seahawks had found videos posted by fans on Twitter of Broncos training camp and used them for scouting purposes.