Claims extracted
30
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
3%
1 of 30 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
68/100
Fox News's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
2
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald didn't cheat.
asserted
Macdonald → cheat → ?
He took advantage of the Broncos' negligence.
asserted
He → take → negligence
But apparently that's not the way Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton saw it.
asserted
Payton → see → it
During a recent interview with Graham Bensinger, Macdonald revealed that he and his staff found around 100 plays that fans had posted on X after filming Broncos training-camp practices in 2024.
asserted
fans → reveal → 2024
And given that Macdonald's first game of that season was against Denver, he scouted those plays in order to gain an advantage.
asserted
he → give → advantage
It worked.
asserted
It → work → ?
Seattle came out with a 26-20 win in Russell Wilson's first game back at Lumen Field.
asserted
Seattle → come → Field
But apparently Payton didn't take too kindly to the Seahawks coaches' scouting tactics.
asserted
Payton → take → tactics
Macdonald told Bensinger that Payton found out about the plays they pulled from social media midway through the season and "lost his mind."
asserted
they → tell → mind
"He called [Seahawks general manager John Schnedier] and basically threatened to come out publicly and do a whole Patriots Spygate type of thing," Macdonald said.
asserted
Macdonald → call → thing
"And I'm sitting there like 'Oh my God, we didn't cheat!'"
asserted
we → sit → ?
So why didn't Payton make it public?
asserted
it → make → ?
Because according to Macdonald, Schneider threatened to sue if he did.
uncertain
he → accord → Macdonald
The result was what Macdonald described as a "Cold War" type standoff, with both teams keeping their fingers on the proverbial button without actually pressing it.
asserted
teams → describe → it
After the season, Macdonald said he ran into Payton at his Indianapolis hotel during the week of the NFL Combine.
asserted
he → say → Combine
Preparing for confrontation, he instead got meekness, with Payton essentially acting like nothing had happened.
asserted
nothing → prepare → meekness
"I was kind of like over him, and he was just like, 'Hey coach,' and he totally backed down in that moment," Macdonald said.
asserted
Macdonald → back → moment
The first is that Macdonald didn't do anything wrong.
asserted
Macdonald → do → anything
This was nothing like Spygate, in which there was a deliberate attempt to circumvent the rules.
asserted
This → be → rules
This was just the Seahawks being savvy enough to know where to obtain plays that had been made public.
asserted
that → know → plays
I don't know what the specific rules are regarding filming with the Broncos, but Seattle doesn't allow anyone to record camp practices after the individual periods have ended.
asserted
periods → know → practices
That's called prudence.
asserted
That → call → ?
It's a rule all teams should have in place.
asserted
teams → have → place
The second is that, assuming all this is true, it's another ding on Payton's reputation.
asserted
it → assume → reputation
This was a guy who was already suspended for the 2012 season due to the Saints' Bountygate scandal, in which the team paid players to knock targeted opponents out of the game.
asserted
team → suspend → game
He took what appeared to be a swipe at his former quarterback Russell Wilson after Jaxson Dart replaced him as the Giants' quarterback, saying "I was talking to (Giants co-owner) John Mara not too long ago I said 'we were hoping that change would've happened long after our game."
Now there seems to be a petty attempt to call out cheating when no cheating took place.
asserted
cheating → take → place
"He's not my biggest fan," Macdonald said of Payton.
asserted
Macdonald → say → Payton
Of course, it would have been interesting to see if Macdonald would have been willing to tell this story a year ago at this time.
asserted
Macdonald → see → time
Winning a Super Bowl gives you the cachet to say close to anything you please.
asserted
you → win → anything
And it doesn't look like he needed any shortcuts to get there.
asserted
he → look → shortcuts
The Aporia
