SI

Sean Payton Ripped for Rude Response to Broncos Reporter Over Simple Football Question

Kristen Wong|
Broncos coach Sean Payton appeared to be unnecessarily rude to a reporter during a media availability this week ahead of their divisional round game against the Bills.
Broncos coach Sean Payton appeared to be unnecessarily rude to a reporter during a media availability this week ahead of their divisional round game against the Bills. | Screengrab on Twitter/ @MySportsUpdate

In this story:

Denver Broncos

Broncos coach Sean Payton made headlines for the wrong reasons during his latest media availability this week ahead of Saturday’s divisional round matchup against the Bills.

The NFL Coach of the Year contender fielded plenty of questions about the upcoming home playoff game, but one in particular rubbed him the wrong way and caused him to respond in a patronizing manner.

Payton was asked about the return of Broncos linebacker Dre Greenlaw and how Greenlaw’s “ability to attack downhill” would factor into the matchup.

“You want him to attack downhill? Is that your—? Like, what do you know about attacking downhill in the run game? You don't know,” Payton curtly responded.

The reporter immediately tried to smooth things over and said, “That’s a good point. I’m not a middle linebacker.”

“That’s right,” Payton said, in the same condescending tone. “Have him attack him downhill. It’s good to have a healthy Dre Greenlaw back in the game.”

Not the best look for the veteran coach.

This is hardly Payton’s first testy exchange with the media during his decades-long tenure in the league. Just a month ago, Payton called out another Broncos reporter for asking the “silliest question of the night” following Denver’s win over the Commanders. Not to mention Denver’s drama-filled (and short-lived) Russell Wilson era years ago during which Payton’s emotions often boiled over into postgame pressers.

The reporter who asked the Greenlaw question, Luca Evans from the Denver Post, brushed off his interaction with Payton afterward. “This was a funny moment, we joked about it after, it’s all good,” Evans wrote on X.

Still, many NFL fans thought Payton was unnecessarily rude and arrogant and could have handled the question a lot better:

More NFL on Sports Illustrated

Published | Modified
Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

Share on XFollow kriscwong
Home/Media