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Mike Macdonald said Sean Payton accused him and the Seahawks of cheating in 2024.
During an appearance on “In Depth With Graham Bensinger,” Macdonald revealed the bizarre rift with the Broncos coach, which stemmed from Seattle studying training camp footage posted to the internet ahead of their season-opening matchup at Lumen Field, which the Seahawks won, 26-20.
“Fans will post plays from training camp on Twitter, so it’s like public knowledge,” Macdonald said during the interview. “We took like 100 plays from their training camp. We were scouting them.”
Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald looks on during the second half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale, Ariz., Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. AP Photo/Rick ScuteriAccording to Macdonald, Payton eventually found out they had watched their plays and believed something more sinister was going on.
“[Payton] got wind of it and he lost it,” Macdonald said. “This is the middle of the season, and we won the game. We were in a fight our first year. There was a lot of s—t going on. So he called [Seahawks general manager] John [Schneider]. He basically threatened to come out publicly and do a whole Patriots Spygate type of thing.”
Wild: Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald reveals that Broncos HC Sean Payton threatened to expose Seattle for a spygate-style cheating scandal after they used training camp clips from X to their advantage.
The Seahawks then threatened to sue him.
Macdonald said the Broncos suspected the Seahawks had planted someone inside their operation, comparing the allegation to the sign-stealing scandal that engulfed Michigan, where he spent one season as a defensive coordinator under Jim Harbaugh.
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton is seen before a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, Monday, September 14, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect“I’m sitting there like, ‘Oh my god. We didn’t cheat,’” Macdonald said. “They thought it was a Michigan thing where we had a plant and the whole thing.”
The Seahawks, Macdonald said, responded with a threat of their own.
“So we had to counter with him and say, ‘If you come out with this, we’re going to sue you because it’s not true.’
“…The season ends and he let it go,” Macdonald said. “But it was like the Cold War. He’s like, ‘I’m going to hit the button. I’m going to hit the button.’ ‘Well, we’re going to hit the button.’ None of us hit the button.”
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