Just when you thought the drama would begin to cool down, it got worse. Amidst the recent drama surrounding the situation between the Denver Broncos and quarterback Russell Wilson, the media has heavily criticized head coach Sean Payton for his "harsh" decision to bench his starting quarterback for backup Jarrett Stidham.
Sean Payton, who has not had a perfect year as a head coach, received more criticism Friday morning on social media from a recently released vet:
Kareem Jackson comments on Sean Payton after his release. pic.twitter.com/MuMGN9K6KT
— Broncos Avenue (@BroncosAve) December 29, 2023
In response to ESPN's Ryan Clark's claim that "Sean Payton's behavior has been unacceptable", Jackson responded with "the truth". In addition to Jackson, former Broncos pass rusher Randy Gregory replied, "All facts". Interestingly enough, both players were released this season due to poor play or bad decision-making on the field. Perhaps they are irritated that the head coach held his team accountable and not himself?
Just days after his release, it makes sense that Kareem Jackson could be frustrated by the way he was let go by the Denver Broncos however, it seems to be deeper than this. Jackson agreeing that Sean Payton needs to be "held accountable" and his behavior being "unacceptable" most likely hints that some kind of issue happened behind closed doors. Because as far as the media knows, Payton has not publicly did anything wrong whatsoever.
He has been seen yelling at Russell Wilson twice on the sidelines this season and made some rather harsh yet truthful comments regarding former head coach Nathaniel Hackett's tenure in Denver. Aside from that, he has not done anything wrong by any standards of a head coach or anything publicly to ruin his reputation. Even his comments regarding Hackett and shouting at Wilson on the sideline was completely warranted. He's the head coach of his football team, he's entitled to these authorities.
Now of course, there comes the decision to bench Russell Wilson which could have rustled some feathers. However, why would this affect Jackson? Nobody's opinions and/or relationships with the Broncos are going to affect or change Payton's vision as to how to run his operation. It's exactly why Payton kept his team so enclosed from the media immediately upon his arrival.
He's well aware from experience how much the outside noise and distractions can affect a locker room and unfortunately due to the words of Kareem Jackson, this will probably turn more heads in the locker room than necessary. For someone who came to Payton's defense earlier in the season, it is quite hysterical to see Jackson now criticize Payton following his release.