Radio host Joe Benigno has claimed that Robert Saleh’s choice to carry the Lebanese flag brought him closer to leaving the New York Jets.
The head coach was fired by the Jets on Tuesday, five games into his fourth season at the helm, amid a miserable 2-3 start to the 2024 season.
The decision came two days after the franchise’s latest loss at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings in London, where Saleh sparked controversy.
The 45-year-old was seen on the sidelines of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a Lebanese flag below the Nike logo on the sleeve of his team’s hoodie after Israeli bombing in Beirut continued overnight into the early hours of Sunday morning.
Saleh, of Lebanese descent, already wore a similar patch last October, but his decision to wear the flag a day before the anniversary of the start of the war in Gaza raised eyebrows.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh sparked controversy by wearing a Lebanese flag on his sleeve.
Now, Benigno, a longtime WFAN host and die-hard Jets fan, believes Saleh’s wardrobe choice influenced owner Woody Johnson to fire him.
“I have to say something else and I hate to get political, but I have to in this case,” Benigno said during an appearance on ‘The Jake Asman Show’ Tuesday.
‘Saleh had the Lebanese flag on his shirt the other day in London. Now we all know what is happening in the Middle East. This is not about sugarcoating what is happening in the Middle East. We all know that Hezbollah fired all these rockets from Lebanon and everything that is happening there towards Israel.
‘…We know he is Muslim. I think he represents the people of Lebanon because I don’t think the people of Lebanon are really happy with Hezbollah. I don’t think that’s the case at all. And I wonder if that also played a role in some way because I saw this on the regular news that it was actually mentioned.
Saleh wore the patch in participation with the NFL Heritage Program, which encourages players and coaches to honor their cultural origins by wearing international flag patches and decals on their helmets.
But the decision amid the war between Israel and Hezbollah left NFL fans divided on social media, many furious and some even predicting a potential impact on their job security.
Saleh was fired as head coach of the New York Jets on Tuesday after their latest loss.
Longtime WFAN host and die-hard Jets fan Joe Benigno (pictured) believes Saleh’s wardrobe choice for Sunday’s game influenced owner Woody Johnson’s firing.
“Robert Saleh is certainly pissing off much of York’s Jewish community with the Lebanese flag on top,” shared one social media user on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“The biggest problem is the Lebanese flag on Saleh’s sleeve,” said one fan, responding to another post criticizing the Jets’ performance.
“I’m not sure Robert Saleh carrying the Lebanese flag, which he obviously added on his own, is going to help him with his property while his team is embarrassed again,” added another.
However, others defended Saleh, highlighting his Lebanese-American background.
One posted: ‘He’s Lebanese-American. Everyone else can be proud of their heritage, why should he?
“Robert Saleh wearing the Lebanese flag is cool,” read a post from another account. “I would expect him to speak or publish about what is happening to his people in Lebanon.”
Saleh’s clothing choice left NFL fans divided on social media and many furious.
Smoke rises from a fire following an explosion following an Israeli attack in Beirut, Lebanon, early October 6.
The night before Sunday’s game, the first of three NFL games in the British capital this season, Israeli bombing continued in Beirut, the Lebanese capital.
Hezbollah’s stronghold in southern Beirut was hit by more than 30 attacks overnight, which were heard throughout the city, and smoke is still seen rising from the site after dawn, according to reports.
Hezbollah, Lebanon’s most powerful armed force, backed by Iran, began firing rockets at Israel almost immediately after the Hamas attack on October 7, calling it a show of support for the Palestinians. Hezbollah and the Israeli army have exchanged fire almost daily.
Last month, Israel launched what it said was a limited ground operation in southern Lebanon after a series of strikes that killed former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and most of its top commanders. The fighting is the worst since Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war in 2006. Nine Israeli soldiers have been killed in ground clashes that Israel says have killed 440 Hezbollah fighters.
Born in Dearborn, Michigan, Saleh is a U.S. citizen but his roots go back to Lebanon. His parents, Sam and Fatin, emigrated from the Middle East to the United States before he was born.
Upon his hiring as head coach of the Jets in 2021, Saleh became the first Muslim head coach in NFL history.
Saleh shares seven children (Adam, Zane, Michael, Sam and Jacob, and daughters Mila and Ella) with his wife Sanaa.
Jets owner Woody Johnson (right) spoke with Aaron Rodgers (left) the night before firing Saleh.
However, he leaves with a dismal 20-36 record after failing to make the playoffs in each of his three full seasons.
The Lebanese-American went through six different starting quarterbacks in his time at MetLife; Rodgers comes after Zach Wilson, Mike White, Trevor Siemian, Tim Boyle and Joe Flacco.
Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will assume head coaching duties and lead the franchise for the remainder of the season, Johnson confirmed in a statement Tuesday.
Saleh’s firing marks the first time Johnson has dropped the ax on a head coach mid-season in his 25 years as owner. The last head coach the Jets had to replace midseason was Lou Holtz in 1976.