‘Always Looking for Confrontation,’ ‘Never Misses an Opportunity To Be Unlikeable’ — NFL Fans Call Out Sean Payton for Mistakenly Accusing Reporter of Smoking
· Yahoo Sports
Sean Payton gave NFL fans something else to talk about after the Denver Broncos’ 26-21 win over the Carolina Panthers.
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During his postgame press conference, the head coach mistakenly accused a reporter of smoking inside the press room. Payton quickly realized his mistake and apologized, but his initial reaction still didn’t sit well with NFL fans.
NFL Fans React to Sean Payton’s Press Conference Incident
During the postgame Q&A session, Payton abruptly paused mid-response to address someone in the crowd. “Can we not smoke in here, please?” he asked.
The coach soon noticed that the reporter was holding a pencil and explained the confusion.
“Oh, you’re not smoking. You’ve got a pencil. I’m sorry. I thought you were smoking. I owe you,” Payton said. “I had a flashback, thinking, ‘Who’s smoking a cigarette?’ … I’m sorry.”
The clip quickly made its way across social media, where viewers had their say about the exchange.
One fan wrote, “Never misses an opportunity to be unlikeable.”
NFL analyst Ryan Linkletter also took aim at the Broncos, writing, “Gotta be the most unlikable team in the league, and it’s not close.”
Another fan questioned Payton’s reaction, writing, “Come on, man. You can’t be that [expletive] stupid. Really? You thought someone was [expletive] smoking at a presser? Just stop.”
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One commenter suggested that Payton’s first reaction was unnecessarily confrontational. “His first instinct was to lash out and be rude instead of realizing it’s 2026 and no one is smoking in the press room, grandpa,” the user wrote.
Another fan added, “Dude is always looking for confrontation.”
Inside Sean Payton’s Media Friction
Payton’s reaction may have been influenced by personal experience, as he lost his mother, Jeanne Payton, to lung cancer in 2002. However, he did not directly connect the incident to her death.
The incident also follows a previous exchange with a reporter. In October, he addressed a beat reporter who said he felt brushed off during an earlier media session.
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“I’m really old. So back in the day, the coach could say something, and I could run to a player’s locker room,” the reporter told Payton.
Payton responded more conciliatorily, laughing off the exchange and reassuring the reporter. “Oh, I didn’t mean it that way. No, no, no, I know. I didn’t mean it that way. Totally,” he said, before adding that he was just “tired and cranky.”
Despite the off-field attention, Denver’s win improved its record to 7-2 and extended its streak to 16 consecutive victories in games decided by a single score.
The Broncos will now enter their Week 10 bye before returning home to face the Las Vegas Raiders.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.