A New York radio host is claiming that New York Jets coach Robert Saleh was fired in part because of the Lebanese flag patch he wore on the field.
Saleh was released on October 8 after back-to-back losses, giving the team a 2-3 start on the 2024 season at the time.
However, according to radio broadcaster Joe Benigno, the losing record may not have been the only reason that Saleh was fired.
“I gotta say something else, and I hate to get political, but I have to in this case,” Benigno said Tuesday during an appearance on “The Jake Asman Show.”
“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 that’s going on there, into Israel,” Benigno continued.
“We know he is Muslim,” the radio man added. “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.”
Benigno was only echoing concerns on social media over the flag patch that Saleh was wearing on the field.
However, it seems unlikely that the patch was any political message.
Saleh is of Lebanese heritage, and he wore the same flag patch last year as part of the NFL Heritage Program, which encourages players and staffers to express pride in their heritage.
The patch likely had little to do with Islam, politics, or the current unrest in the Middle East, despite the fact that Saleh was the first Muslim head coach in the NFL.
If anything, he was fired because of his less-than-stellar record. The Jets had a 20-36 record during Saleh’s tenure, and he never had a season above .500.
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