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

Radio property Joe Benigno has claimed that Robert Saleh's prime to deterioration the emblem of Lebanon pushed him person to the exit astatine the New York Jets.

The head manager was fired by the Jets Tuesday - 5 games into his 4th play astatine the helm - amid a miserable 2-3 commencement to the 2024 season.

The determination came 2 days aft the flailing franchise's latest decision astatine the hands of the Minnesota Vikings successful London, where Saleh sparked controversy.

The 45-year-old was spotted connected the sidelines astatine Tottenham Hotspur Stadium wearing a Lebanese emblem beneath the Nike logo connected the sleeve of his squad hoodie aft Israeli bombing connected Beirut had continued overnight into the aboriginal hours of Sunday morning.

Saleh, who is of Lebanese heritage, antecedently wore a akin spot past October but his determination to carnivore the emblem a time earlier the day of the opening of the warfare successful Gaza raised eyebrows. 

Now, Benigno, a longtime big astatine WFAN and a die-hard Jets fan, believes that Saleh's wardrobe prime played a relation successful owner Woody Johnson axing him. 

'I gotta accidental thing other and I hatred to get governmental but I person to successful this case,' Benigno said during an quality on 'The Jake Asman Show' Tuesday.

'Saleh had the emblem of Lebanon connected his garment the different time successful London. Now we each cognize what's going connected successful the Middle East. There is nary sugarcoating of what's going connected successful the Middle East. We each cognize astir Hezbollah firing each these rockets retired of Lebanon, and each what's going connected there, into Israel.

'… We cognize helium is Muslim. I deliberation helium is representing the radical of Lebanon due to the fact that I don't judge the radical of Lebanon truly are blessed with Hezbollah. I don't deliberation that's the lawsuit astatine all. And I wonderment if that has played into this successful a mode arsenic good due to the fact that I did spot this connected the regular quality that this was really brought up.' 

Saleh wore the spot successful information with the NFL Heritage Program, which encourages players and coaches to grant their taste origins by wearing planetary emblem patches and decals connected their helmets.

But the determination amid the Israel-Hezbollah warfare near NFL fans divided connected societal media with galore furious and immoderate adjacent predicting a imaginable interaction connected his occupation security. 

'Robert saleh p***ing disconnected a batch of the Jew York assemblage with the Lebanon emblem connected his apical nary doubt,' 1 societal media idiosyncratic shared to X, formerly known arsenic Twitter. 

'Bigger contented is the Lebanese emblem connected saleh’s sleeve,' 1 instrumentality said, replying to different station criticizing the Jets' performance.

'I americium not definite that Robert Saleh wearing the Lebanese Flag, which helium evidently added connected his own, is going to assistance him with his ownership arsenic his squad gets embarrassed again,' different added.

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

One posted: 'He’s Lebanese American. Everyone other is allowed to beryllium arrogant of their practice wherefore should he?'

'Robert Saleh sporting the Lebanese emblem is cool,' a station from different relationship read. 'Would anticipation helium talks oregon posts astir what’s happening to his radical successful Lebanon .'

The nighttime earlier Sunday's crippled - the archetypal of the NFL's 3 fixtures successful the British superior this play - Israeli bombing continued connected Beirut, the Lebanese capital.

The Hezbollah stronghold successful southbound Beirut was deed by much than 30 strikes overnight, which were heard crossed the city, with fume inactive seen billowing from the tract aft dawn, according to reports. 

Iranian-backed Hezbollah, the strongest equipped unit successful Lebanon, began firing rockets into Israel astir instantly aft Hamas' October 7 attack, calling it a amusement of enactment for the Palestinians. Hezbollah and Israel's subject person traded occurrence astir daily.

Last month, Israel launched what it said was a constricted crushed cognition into confederate Lebanon aft a bid of attacks killed longtime Hezbollah person Hassan Nasrallah and astir of his apical commanders. The warring is the worst since Israel and Hezbollah fought a monthlong warfare successful 2006. Nine Israeli soldiers person been killed successful crushed clashes that Israel says person killed 440 Hezbollah fighters.

Born successful Dearborn, Michigan, Saleh is an American national but his roots hint backmost to Lebanon. His parents, Sam and Fatin, emigrated from the Middle East to the United States earlier helium was born.

Upon his hiring arsenic the Jets' caput manager successful 2021, Saleh became the archetypal Muslim caput manager successful the past of the NFL. 

However, helium departs with a dismal 20-36 grounds aft failing to marque the playoffs successful each of his 3 afloat seasons.

The Lebanese-American went done six antithetic starting quarterbacks successful his clip astatine MetLife; with Rodgers coming aft Zach Wilson, Mike White, Trevor Siemian, Tim Boyle and Joe Flacco.

Jets antiaircraft coordinator Jeff Ulbrich volition instrumentality up the caput coaching duties and pb the floundering franchise for the remainder of the season, Johnson confirmed successful a connection Tuesday. 

Saleh's firing marks the precise archetypal clip Johnson has dropped the axe connected a caput manager successful the mediate of a play successful his 25 years arsenic owner. The past caput manager the Jets had to regenerate mid-season was Lou Holtz backmost successful 1976.