Robert Saleh wearing Lebanese flag on sweatshirt in London game played factor in Jets firing, radio host says

The New York Jets shocked many with the firing of Robert Saleh as head coach following back-to-back losses to move them to 2-3 on the year.

While owner Woody Johnson said that he consulted general manager Joe Douglas, he ultimately said he made the decision on his own. 

What factored into the decision for Johnson to relieve Saleh of his duties was not divulged other than him saying he felt it was the right time to do so. However, one longtime radio host pointed to Saleh’s wardrobe choice during the team’s London game against the Minnesota Vikings as a factor. 

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Joe Benigno, who is a die-hard Jets fan and former radio host at WFAN, said he believed that Saleh wearing a black Jets sweatshirt with the Lebanese flag on his sleeve had something to do with his firing. 

“I gotta say something else, and I hate to get political, but I have to in this case,” Benigno said while on “The Jake Asman Show” on Tuesday. 

ISLAMIC GROUP CALLS OUT JETS FOR FIRING ROBERT SALEH AFTER WEARING LEBANON PIN AMID ISRAEL WAR

“Saleh had the flag of Lebanon on his shirt the other day in London. Now, we all know what’s going on in the Middle East. There is no sugarcoating of what’s going on in the Middle East. We all know about Hezbollah firing all these rockets out of Lebanon, and all what’s going on there, into Israel.

“We know he is Muslim. I think he is representing the people of Lebanon, because I don’t believe the people of Lebanon really are happy with Hezbollah. I don’t think that’s the case at all. And I wonder if that has played into this in a way as well, because I did see this on the regular news that this was actually brought up.”  

New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh looks on from the sideline during the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on Aug. 24. (Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports)

There were some on social media who voiced displeasure with Saleh, who is of Lebanese descent, wearing the flag on his sleeve due to the current situation in the country. 

Hezbollah, the Iran-backed military group in Lebanon, has a violent history with Israel, and it only escalated amid the Israel-Hamas war. The flag was seen on the day Israel bombed Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, one day before the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

However, Saleh wore the Lebanese flag patch last year as part of the NFL Heritage Program, which encourages players and coaches to honor their cultural backgrounds with patches and helmet decals on game day. Saleh also wore the patch earlier this season. 

Saleh, who became the first Muslim head coach in the NFL when the Jets hired him in January 2021, is the son of Lebanese parents, who immigrated to the U.S. prior to him being born. 

New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh talks to reporters after the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

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In his three-and-a-half seasons leading the Jets, Saleh owned a 20-36 record. He never had a season above .500 after going 4-13 in year one, followed by back-to-back seasons at 7-10. 

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