Jets OC Nathaniel Hackett says Sean Payton criticism broke the ‘code’

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In his first public comments since Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton ripped his lone head coaching performance, New York Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett told reporters that he felt Payton violated an unwritten "code." 

In an interview with USA Today, Payton said Hackett’s time as head coach of the Broncos "might have been one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL." 

New York Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett speaks to reporters at the team's NFL football practice facility in Florham Park, N.J., Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023.  (AP Photo/Dennis Waszak Jr.)

"I do," Hackett said Tuesday when asked if he felt that Payton broke or violated the code. "I do. I just think that within this glass house that we all live … it’s one of those things that it’s very expected. You knew it was going to happen. You knew he was going to handle it that way at some point. It’s how it was going all last year."

Payton expressed regret for his comments, with the Super Bowl-winning head coach saying he wished he would have shown more restraint. 

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"It was a learning experience for me. It was a mistake, obviously," Payton told reporters Friday. 

"I needed a little bit more filter. There’s a pound of flesh for these guys and, as a coach, you stick up for them, and after a while, we’re passed that season last year. And I said what I said, and obviously I needed a little bit more restraint. And I regret that."  

Jul 28, 2023; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton dresses the media after training camp at Centura Health