Robert Saleh's controversial decision to wear Lebanon flag 'could have played a part' in Jets firing, claims sports radio host

Radio personality Joe Benigno has claimed that Robert Saleh's choice to wear the flag of Lebanon pushed him closer to the exit at the New York Jets.

The head coach was fired by the Jets 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 flailing franchise's latest defeat at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings in London, where Saleh sparked controversy.

The 45-year-old was spotted on the sidelines at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium wearing a Lebanese flag below the Nike logo on the sleeve of his team hoodie after Israeli bombing on Beirut had continued overnight into the early hours of Sunday morning.

Saleh, who is of Lebanese heritage, previously wore a similar patch last October but his decision to bear the flag a day before the anniversary of the beginning of the war in Gaza raised eyebrows. 

Now, Benigno, a longtime host at WFAN and a die-hard Jets fan, believes that Saleh's wardrobe choice played a role in owner Woody Johnson axing him. 

'I gotta 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 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.' 

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 Israel-Hezbollah war left NFL fans divided on social media with many furious and some even predicting a potential impact on his job security. 

'Robert saleh p***ing off a lot of the Jew York community with the Lebanon flag on his top no doubt,' one social media user shared to X, formerly known as Twitter. 

'Bigger issue is the Lebanese flag on saleh’s sleeve,' one fan said, replying to another post criticizing the Jets' performance.

'I am not sure that Robert Saleh wearing the Lebanese Flag, which he obviously added on his own, is going to help him with his ownership as his team gets embarrassed again,' another added.

However, others defended Saleh, highlighting his Lebanese-American background.

One posted: 'He’s Lebanese American. Everyone else is allowed to be proud of their heritage why should he?'

'Robert Saleh sporting the Lebanese flag is cool,' a post from another account read. 'Would hope he talks or posts about what’s happening to his people in Lebanon .'

The night before Sunday's game - the first of the NFL's three fixtures in the British capital this season - Israeli bombing continued on Beirut, the Lebanese capital.

The Hezbollah stronghold in south Beirut was hit by more than 30 strikes overnight, which were heard across the city, with smoke still seen billowing from the site after dawn, according to reports. 

Iranian-backed Hezbollah, the strongest armed force in Lebanon, began firing rockets into Israel almost immediately after Hamas' October 7 attack, calling it a show of support for the Palestinians. Hezbollah and Israel's military have traded fire almost daily.

Last month, Israel launched what it said was a limited ground operation into southern Lebanon after a series of attacks killed longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and most of his top commanders. The fighting is the worst since Israel and Hezbollah fought a monthlong 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 an American citizen but his roots trace 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 the Jets' head coach in 2021, Saleh became the first Muslim head coach in the history of the NFL. 

However, he departs 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; with Rodgers coming after Zach Wilson, Mike White, Trevor Siemian, Tim Boyle and Joe Flacco.

Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will take up the head coaching duties and lead the floundering franchise for the remainder of the season, Johnson confirmed in a statement Tuesday. 

Saleh's firing marks the very first time Johnson has dropped the axe on a head coach in the middle of a season in his 25 years as owner. The last head coach the Jets had to replace mid-season was Lou Holtz back in 1976.