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Broncos head coach Sean Payton has refuted claims that he aimed a remark at Russell Wilson following Denver’s unexpected victory over the Giants on Sunday. The comment ignited a verbal tussle between the former Broncos quarterback and Payton.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, Payton clarified that his statement was not meant as a critique of Wilson. Wilson had reacted strongly, branding Payton as “classless” in a post on X the previous Monday.
When asked whether he had seen Wilson’s post, Payton responded, “I did.” He elaborated, saying, “Amid the excitement of how the game played out, my comment was solely about [Jaxson] Dart. It was not intended in any way to target Russ. I understand how he might have interpreted it that way, but it was purely about celebrating [Dart]’s performance.”
The controversy began when Payton commented on the Giants’ newfound energy with Dart as their quarterback, expressing a wish that they had delayed bringing in the rookie. He remarked, “I recently spoke with John Mara and mentioned that we hoped the quarterback change would occur after our game,” referencing Denver’s surprising triumph.
“I was talking to John Mara not too long ago, and I said we were hoping that change would’ve happened long after our game,” Payton said about the Giants’ quarterback situation following Denver’s upset win.
The comment appeared to be a subtle dig at Wilson, who started the season at QB for the Giants.
He previously played a season under Payton in 2023 in Denver before he was released.
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Wilson wasn’t the only one who took issue with Payton’s words, either, with ESPN’s Michael Wilbon eviscerating him on “Pardon the Interruption” on Wednesday.
“Sean Payton is a really, really, really fine coach,” Wilbon said. “Except Sean Payton behaves, too often, like a classless bum. That’s what he behaves like.”
“Sean Payton, who do you think you are?” Wilbon later added. “You ain’t that good where you can just take shots at people.”
“I wish Russell Wilson had gone further.”
The Broncos and Giants don’t play against each other this season (unless they met in the Super Bowl), so any chance for revenge by Wilson will have to wait.