Muslim organization questions firing of Jets football coach for displaying Lebanese flag

Robert Saleh was fired as the head coach of the National Football League’s New York Jets on Oct. 8. This unexpected and stunning move occurred two days after the Jets lost to the Minnesota Vikings in a regular season game in London, on Oct. 6. At the time of the firing, the Jets had a 2-3 losing record this season and a 20-36 overall losing record since Saleh was hired as the Jets coach in January 2021.

Based on past coaches’ experiences, it is unusual and shocking for a head coach to lose their job during the season and especially so early in the season. Also unprecedented was the fact that Saleh was not allowed to make goodbye remarks to the team in person, a standard protocol. Instead, he was escorted out of the Jets facility by security guards and not even allowed to leave on his own accord.

What has gotten lost in the debate regarding this development is that Saleh is the first Muslim head coach in the NFL. Both of his parents were born in Lebanon before they migrated to the U.S. prior to Saleh’s birth.  

Following the Al-Aqsa Flood that erupted in Gaza a year ago on October 7, 2023, Saleh wore a small Lebanese flag patch on the arm of his Jets’ sweatshirt shirt. This was part of the NFL’s Heritage Program in 2023 where players and coaches are encouraged to recognize their cultural backgrounds with patches and decals. He had worn the Lebanese flag patch on other occasions.

But that all changed once Israeli airstrikes began pounding the densely populated areas of Beirut on Sept. 27, after which there was a major defensive military response from the liberation organization, Hezbollah – a justifiable action in their ongoing struggle.  

Joe Benigno, a former sports radio host at WFAN radio station, remarked in an interview on The Jake Asman Show on Oct. 8, that he believed that Saleh was fired due to the current situation in West Asia, particularly in Lebanon. Benigno told Asman, “There is no sugarcoating of what’s going on in the Middle East.” 

Those who have denounced Saleh over social media have equated the Lebanese flag with the anti-Israel, anti-U.S. Hezbollah flag – which Saleh should also have the right to wear.  

The Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) has demanded an explanation from Jets owner Woody Johnson – who had been accused of making racist and sexist remarks while he was a member of the Trump administration in 2020 – on the firing of Saleh. Notably, Johnson is staunchly pro-Zionist. 

The CAIR statement reads: “We commend Coach Robert Saleh for making history as the first American Muslim head coach in NFL history. Although no one should jump to conclusions about why the Jets fired Coach Saleh, the report that Jets security physically escorted Saleh out of the building does raise concerns about the possible motive for such unusual hostility—especially given that Saleh wore a Lebanese flag pin at a game just days ago and that owner Woody Johnson is a former Trump administration official who has been accused of making racially charged remarks. We encourage the Jets to thoroughly explain its unusually hostile reported treatment of Coach Saleh.”

As of this writing, the Jets ownership has not responded to CAIR’s concerns.