Nathaniel Hackett Breaks Silence on Sean Payton's Public Insult
The Denver Broncos opened training camp last week, and instead of that being the story, it was instead Sean Payton's public castigation of ex-head coach Nathaniel Hackett. Payton called Hackett's 2022 body of work "one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL."
Payton walked his fiery comments back somewhat on Friday, professing his regret, but it wasn't exactly an apology. And according to Hackett, who is now the New York Jets offensive coordinator, Payton hasn't called him to apologize either.
On Tuesday, Hackett broke his silence for the first time since Payton's incendiary remarks.
"As a coach, as a coach's kid, we live in a glass house," Hackett said. "We know that. We all live in different rooms. We've all got a key for it. It's one of those things—there's a code, there's a way things are done in that house. This past week, it's frustrating, and it sucks, but we're all susceptible to it. The things that you do, the mistakes that you make... It's unfortunate that that had to happen, the comments that were made. But hey, they did. I'll tell you, I was probably more surprised that they happened now. I was definitely expecting them in Week 5, so I'm almost thankful that we got that out of the way. We all understand what certain people feel and think."
Indeed, Week 5 is going to be lit. Even before Payton said anything, the Broncos had plenty of motivation to take on the visiting Jets. Now, both teams have a litany of bulletin board material to sink their team into.
A couple of days before Hackett's response, Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers punched back at Payton, telling him to "keep my coach's name" out of his mouth. Rodgers' retort was preceded by Jets offensive lineman Billy Turner (like Hackett, also a former Bronco) calling Payton a "f*cking bum." Turner also happens to be Hackett's "best friend."
Meanwhile, when Russell Wilson was asked whether he gave Payton a hard time for ostensibly violating the "anonymous donor" mandate he levied on the Broncos locker room (a media moratorium of sorts for the offseason), the veteran QB brushed it off and didn't grope at the low-hanging opportunity to pile on Hackett.
Obviously, Wilson shares complicity for how the 2022 season unfolded for the Broncos, but he probably has plenty of thoughts and insights into how much blame Hackett shoulders for the team becoming a national lampoon. Instead of saying anything about Hackett, Wilson called Payton a "legend" and spoke to his NFL reputation.
"Coach Payton has been the best, in terms of just really stepping in and really leading our football team," Wilson said on Friday. "Obviously, he's a World Championship coach. A Super Bowl champion. He's won a lot of games. He's been in a lot of playoff situations. I've played against him before. Been great matchups over the years... I always had high regard for who he is as a coach, as a man, and as a competitor as well. He's leading our football team in the right way, so I've got a lot of love and respect for Coach Payton and where we are right now."
Wilson is likely just satisfied that he's being coached now by a guy whose resume features not only a Super Bowl ring, but also the distinction of taking a quarterback in Drew Brees, who was on the brink of NFL irrelevancy, and putting him on a Hall-of-Fame path. Wilson is hoping to enjoy a similar career renaissance under Payton.
When Payton was asked again to comment on the Hackett subject — I.E. Rodgers' remarks — he replied tersely, "No, we're past it." That may be true for now, but this score won't truly be settled until October 8 when Hackett, Rodgers, and the Jets roll into Empower Field at Mile High.
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