The recent firing of Robert Saleh as head coach of the New York Jets, in just the fifth week of the 2024 NFL season, has generated a series of repercussions, ranging from accusations against quarterback Aaron Rodgers to conflicts in the Middle East.
The Jets had high expectations for this season, and certainly the team was not playing up to them, but despite a negative record of 2-3, they are just one game behind the Buffalo Bills (3-2), the leaders of the AFC East Division.
Therefore, owner Woody Johnson's decision, supposedly based solely on a sporting decision due to Saleh's poor performance as the Jets' coach, has sparked all kinds of speculation as being considered hasty.
Did Rodgers influence Saleh's dismissal?
The Jets' surprising decision fueled speculation about the strained relationship between Robert Saleh and Aaron Rodgers, the 40-year-old veteran. A-Rod arrived in New York in 2023 but only had four snaps in the debut game before breaking his left Achilles heel, causing him to miss the rest of the season.
During the 2024 preseason, Saleh fined Rodgers in June for missing training sessions due to a trip to Egypt, and in the victory against the Patriots, the television broadcasted nationwide when the quarterback pushed the coach away when he tried to hug him after scoring a touchdown.
According to ESPN insider Adam Schefter, the Jets' owner spoke with Aaron Rodgers on Monday night, but he assured that they did not talk about Saleh and that the quarterback did not participate in the team's decision.
"I am not going to dedicate a single phrase to any of the ridiculous accusations that have been made. They bother me because they are obviously false. It is interesting the amount of power that people think I have when in reality it is not the case," Rodgers stated to ESPN this Wednesday.
In any case, in 2021 Rodgers argued with the Packers' general manager and tried to get him fired through his agent.
Did the flag of Lebanon played a factor?
For the Sunday game in London, where the Jets lost to the Minnesota Vikings, coach Robert Saleh wore the flag of Lebanon on one of the arms of his tracksuit amid the war between Israel and Hezbollah, with bombings in Beirut and Lebanese territory in recent weeks, and over 2,000 deaths in the last 12 months.
Saleh, who was born in Michigan to Lebanese immigrant parents, is the first Muslim head coach in NFL history.
Joe Benigno, a famous former sports radio host on one of New York's most popular radio stations and a Jets fan, said in an interview that he couldn't help but get involved in politics when discussing Saleh's firing.
The sports celebrity said he believed Saleh's attire played a factor in his dismissal: "I have to say something else, and I hate getting involved in politics, but in this case, I have to do it," Benigno said during an appearance on "The Jake Asman Show" on Tuesday. He added that "we know he is Muslim. I think he represents the people of Lebanon because I don't think the people of Lebanon are really happy with Hezbollah. I don't think that's the case at all. And I wonder if that also influenced in some way".
In this way, in the 2023 season, Robert Saleh used the Lebanese flag on at least two occasions as part of the NFL’s “heritage” program, which aims to highlight the roots of players and coaches.