conv.

All stories
SportsActive · 34h

Macdonald reveals 2024 Seahawks-Broncos social-media scouting dispute with Payton

Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald says a Twitter-based scouting trick against Denver nearly escalated into a Spygate-style NFL complaint and a lawsuit threat.

newest coverage 19h agosummary written 18h ago4 pieces1 likes & upvotes NewswiresMastodonGoogle News

What to know

  • Macdonald's disclosure retroactively confirms the Seahawks scouted the Broncos using publicly posted fan footage before their 2024 Week 1 matchup, a legal but controversial tactic.
  • Payton's threat to report Seattle for a Spygate-style violation and the Seahawks' countersuit threat were kept private for nearly two years until Macdonald's interview.
  • The episode has already changed Broncos policy, with Denver banning fan filming at 2026 training camp, and may prompt other teams to revisit similar rules.

Mike MacdonaldMike Macdonald Seattle Seahawks head coachSean PaytonSean Payton Denver Broncos head coachJohn Schneider Seattle Seahawks general managerJeff Hafley Miami Dolphins assistant coach

Macdonald reveals 2024 Seahawks-Broncos social-media scouting dispute with Payton
cbssports.com

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

Peak 2 pieces in one half hour at Sep 22, 2 PM; 4 pieces over 35 hours (2 articles · 2 posts) Sep 22, 1:59 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Sep 22, 2:29 PM — quietSep 22, 2:59 PM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Sep 22, 3:29 PM — quietSep 22, 3:59 PM — quietSep 22, 4:29 PM — quietSep 22, 4:59 PM — quietSep 22, 5:29 PM — quietSep 22, 5:59 PM — quietSep 22, 6:29 PM — quietSep 22, 6:59 PM — quietSep 22, 7:29 PM — quietSep 22, 7:59 PM — quietSep 22, 8:29 PM — quietSep 22, 8:59 PM — quietSep 22, 9:29 PM — quietSep 22, 9:59 PM — quietSep 22, 10:29 PM — quietSep 22, 10:59 PM — quietSep 22, 11:29 PM — quietSep 22, 11:59 PM — quietYesterday, 12:29 AM — quietYesterday, 12:59 AM — quietYesterday, 1:29 AM — quietYesterday, 1:59 AM — quietYesterday, 2:29 AM — quietYesterday, 2:59 AM — quietYesterday, 3:29 AM — quietYesterday, 3:59 AM — quietYesterday, 4:29 AM — quietYesterday, 4:59 AM — quietYesterday, 5:29 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Yesterday, 5:59 AM — quietYesterday, 6:29 AM — quietYesterday, 6:59 AM — quietYesterday, 7:29 AM — quietYesterday, 7:59 AM — quietYesterday, 8:29 AM — quietYesterday, 8:59 AM — quietYesterday, 9:29 AM — quietYesterday, 9:59 AM — quietYesterday, 10:29 AM — quietYesterday, 10:59 AM — quietYesterday, 11:29 AM — quietYesterday, 11:59 AM — quietYesterday, 12:29 PM — quietYesterday, 12:59 PM — quietYesterday, 1:29 PM — quietYesterday, 1:59 PM — quietYesterday, 2:29 PM — quietYesterday, 2:59 PM — quietYesterday, 3:29 PM — quietYesterday, 3:59 PM — quietYesterday, 4:29 PM — quietYesterday, 4:59 PM — quietYesterday, 5:29 PM — quietYesterday, 5:59 PM — quietYesterday, 6:29 PM — quietYesterday, 6:59 PM — quietYesterday, 7:29 PM — quietYesterday, 7:59 PM — quietYesterday, 8:29 PM — quietYesterday, 8:59 PM — quietYesterday, 9:29 PM — quietYesterday, 9:59 PM — quietYesterday, 10:29 PM — quietYesterday, 10:59 PM — quietYesterday, 11:29 PM — quietYesterday, 11:59 PM — quietToday, 12:29 AM — quiet 1
4 PMyesterday8 AM4 PMnow · 12:59 AM ET
  1. 1

    CBS Sports publishes account of the Macdonald-Payton feud

    CBS Sports' John Breech reported the details of Macdonald's interview, noting the incident's parallel to a Packers-Eagles scouting dispute involving Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley and suggesting teams may revisit training camp filming policies.

    “Fans will tape and post plays from training camp on Twitter, so it's public knowledge, so we took like a 100 plays from their training camp. We're scouting them.”
    — Mike Macdonald, Seahawks head coach · source
  2. background

    Macdonald tells the story publicly to Graham Bensinger — In a Graham Bensinger interview, Macdonald disclosed the previously unreported 2024 dispute with Payton over the Twitter-based scouting, revealing the near-lawsuit and the coaches' strained relationship.

  3. background

    Broncos ban fan filming at 2026 training camp — Denver posted signs around its training camp facility warning fans they could be removed for excessively filming practices, a policy change reportedly stemming from the 2024 scouting incident.

  4. background

    Seahawks counter-threaten to sue Payton, he backs down — Believing they had broken no rules since the footage was publicly posted by fans, the Seahawks threatened to sue Payton if he went public with the cheating accusation; Payton dropped the matter, which never leaked publicly at the time.

  5. background

    Payton accuses Seahawks of illegal spying, threatens NFL report — After learning of Seattle's social-media scouting, Broncos coach Sean Payton suspected the Seahawks had planted someone at Denver's training camp and called Seahawks GM John Schneider threatening to publicly accuse the team of a Spygate-style violation.

  6. background

    Seahawks beat Broncos 26-20 in Macdonald's coaching debut — Seattle's defense forced three turnovers and held Denver to 231 yards in a road win that opened the 2024 season and marked Macdonald's first game as an NFL head coach.

  7. background

    Seahawks scout Broncos using fan Twitter footage before Week 1 — Ahead of Macdonald's first game as Seahawks head coach, his staff pulled roughly 100 plays from Broncos training camp footage posted publicly by fans on Twitter to prepare their game plan.