It’s been a tense week in Denver, Colorado. The Denver Broncos appear to be ready to move on from quarterback Russell Wilson. Although the team sold the farm for the former Super Bowl Champion, and then backed the Brinks truck up, it just hasn’t worked out. That being said, head coach Sean Payton and the Broncos haven’t really helped the situation.
More details have emerged throughout the week about the turbulence between Wilson, Payton, and the Broncos. And as the week as trudged on, the voices and the criticism has grown louder. ESPN’s Ryan Clark, in particular, emerged with strong words for the way Payton has handled things. The hostility involved caused Clark to suggest that Payton has behaved as a “thug” since arriving in Denver.
Word apparently got to Payton, who addressed the media on Friday. According to Chris Thomasson, it was a snippy Payton on hand.
Thomasson wrote that Payton “said it’s ‘part of the deal’ the criticism he faces. He ended press conference by thanking media for wishing him Happy Birthday even though media didn’t.”
Sean Payton said it’s “part of the deal” the criticism he faces . He ended press conference by thanking media for wishing him happy birthday even though media didn’t
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) December 29, 2023
Denver’s Andrew Mason later provided a video of the tense interaction.
The clip: https://t.co/g0B7xwzdPZ pic.twitter.com/v4EDtM7eIP
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) December 29, 2023
There are probably much better ways to handle this situation than all this. And the way that Payton is moving in comparison to Wilson, who hung in there and answered questions on Friday, is noticeably stark. But, if optics were the concern here, then this situation probably wouldn’t unfold how it has unfolded.
