Robert Saleh wearing Lebanese flag on outfit played a part in Jets firing: Joe Benigno

Joe Benigno said he couldn’t help but get political when discussing Jets coach Robert Saleh’s firing on Tuesday following two straight losses to the Vikings and Broncos.

The sports radio personality said he believes that Saleh’s wardrobe — when he wore a patch of the Lebanese flag on his team sweatshirt during Gang Green’s 23-17 loss to the Vikings on Sunday — had something to do with Jets owner Woody Johnson pulling the plug on his head coach.

“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.”

Joe Beningo thinks Saleh was fired for donning a Lebanon flag on Sunday pic.twitter.com/Jpp5wtpZe4

— Jared (@jaregss) October 8, 2024

Benigno was a longtime host at WFAN and a die-hard Jets fan.

Saleh, who is a Muslim of Lebanese descent, faced a wave of social media scrutiny Sunday when he wore a patch of the Lebanese flag on his team sweatshirt on Sunday.

The coach 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.

Saleh — whose parents, Sam and Fatin, emigrated from the Middle East to the United States before he was born — has been wearing the flag patch for two weeks now.

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Saleh wore a similar patch of the flag of Lebanon last season when the Jets beat the Giants at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 29.

However, wearing it on Sunday — as Israel bombs the Lebanese capital of Beirut as part of its war with Hezbollah and on the eve of the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel — drew increased attention.

A number of social media users slammed Saleh for the decision to wear the flag — disowning the beleaguered coach and his struggling team — which led to multiple outlets writing the story up as a controversy.

“Why was Robert Saleh wearing a Lebanese flag on his jacket! What a slap in the face to New Yorker !! Was it really necessary to wear that flag patch!!” one commenter wrote on X.

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But the NFL’s program encourages participants wear the flag of an international country or territory where relatives have been born or where they’ve lived for over two years. Players also wore the American flag.

It allows participants to represent their backgrounds throughout the entire season.

Players and coaches last season — including Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, 49ers linebacker Fred Warner and Rams receiver Puka Nacua among others — represented more than 70 nations and territories through their participation in the program.

 

Coaching staffs across 17 clubs including, Bill Belichick (Patriots), Arthur Smith (Falcons), Ron Rivera (Commanders) and more Brian Daboll (Giants) participated.