Sean Payton addresses bombshell article: "I regret that"
Sean Payton lit the NFL on fire this week with his scathing comments on the 2022 Denver Broncos, Nathaniel Hackett, and even the New York Jets in an article by Jarrett Bell of USA Today.
On Friday, Payton expressed remorse for his comments and said he got caught up in the moment.
"It was a learning experience for me. It was a mistake obviously. I needed a little bit more filter," Payton said. "I said what I said. Obviously, I needed a little more restraint and I regret that."
There were two things Payton didn't have any regrets about - defending Russell Wilson and setting playoff expectations.
"There's so much dirt around that. There's 20 dirty hands, for what was allowed, tolerated in the fricking training rooms, the meeting rooms. The offense. I don't know Hackett. A lot of people had dirt on their hands. It wasn't just Russell. He didn't just flip. He still has it. This B.S. that he hit a wall? Shoot, they couldn't get a play in. They were 29th in the league in pre-snap penalties on both sides of the ball," Payton told Bell in regards to Wilson.
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"That was the parents who allowed it. That's not an incrimination on him, but an incrimination on the head coach, the GM (George Paton), the president (Damani Leech) and everybody else who watched it all happen," he said.
On Friday, Payton doubled down on sticking up for his players and stressed the importance of his role in helping them succeed.
"There's a pound of flesh for these guys and as a coach you stick up for them... these guys deserve the best teaching in the world. They're the best players in the world. They deserve a chance," he said.
He also clarified his comments on George Paton.
"The front office and the ownership are the two reasons I came here. George and I are close. He was one of the big attractions... my point was, is was just across the board organizationally. It wasn't one person
The second thing, Payton doubled down on his comments on making the playoffs. Paton told Bell he would "be pissed" if the Broncos didn't make the postseason - and he has no regrets about saying so.
"I'm not afraid of the expectation. I've talked with several people about being used to contending for the postseason. You don't take it for granted but that mindset needs to be present here. I see this as a team that has that ability, and it's our job to bring that out of them," he said.
