Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said a 2024 dispute with Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton over an alleged cheating scheme nearly turned into a lawsuit, according to an interview with Graham Bensinger that went viral in September 2026. Macdonald said Payton threatened to publicly accuse the Seahawks of cheating before backing down when Seattle threatened legal action in response.
The dispute traces back to Week 1 of the 2024 season, when the Seahawks beat the Broncos 26-20 in what was Macdonald’s first game as a head coach. Seattle’s scouting staff had used publicly posted training camp video clips from social media to prepare for the matchup, pulling roughly 100 plays from Denver’s training camp footage, according to Macdonald and USA Today.
What Macdonald Said About The Dispute
Macdonald said Payton called Seahawks general manager John Schneider once he learned of the video use and threatened to go public with a comparison to the New England Patriots’ Spygate scandal.
“He called John and he basically threatened to come out publicly and do a whole Patriot, like, Spygate type of thing,” Macdonald said, according to Sporting News.
Macdonald said the Seahawks pushed back hard, countering Payton’s threat with one of their own. “We had to counter with him, to say like, ‘Hey, look, if you come out at us, we’re going to sue you, because it’s not true,'” Macdonald said. Payton backed down after that, according to Macdonald’s account.
What It Means
The fallout from the incident reached beyond the phone call. The Broncos instituted a strict no-phone policy in the seating area during training camp after the episode, a direct response to how Seattle had obtained the footage in the first place.
Payton confirmed he accepted Macdonald’s apology. “We spoke. He and I are good.
Lord knows I’ve been in his position,” Payton said, according to USA Today. “It allowed us to figure out how to handle our training camp relative to just videos.”
Macdonald’s Apology To Payton
After his remarks to Bensinger spread publicly, Macdonald reached out to Payton directly to apologize, saying he never intended for the story to become public.
“It’s something that I didn’t intend for public use but you know, it just felt like it was the most appropriate thing to reach out to Sean and really just apologize to him for having that end up being public where it wasn’t meant to,” Macdonald said.
What’s Next
The Seahawks and Broncos meet again on Thursday Night Football in Week 6 of the 2026 season, their first matchup since that 2024 game. Seattle enters that game still working through turnover problems and play-calling questions that have shaped its early schedule.
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