Robert Saleh’s Brother, Who Was Working at the South Tower During 9/11, Inspired Him To Become an NFL Coach

New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh won his first game of the season against the Bills but at the cost of Aaron Rodgers. He displayed his incredible coaching skills during the game which truly paid off. However, his story of becoming an NFL coach is even more fascinating which also involves his brother who worked at the South Tower of the World Trade Center at the time of 9/11.

Saleh’s brother was working at the World Trade Center when the horrific attack happened. Fortunately, he was able to survive the attack. However, the incident had a major impact on Saleh. He went through a life-changing ordeal after the dreadful incident and eventually decide to pursue his passion of becoming an NFL coach.

Robert Saleh’s Noteworthy Coaching Career

Robert’s journey to becoming the head coach of the New York Jets in the NFL is an inspiring tale. In his early 20s, Saleh was working as a Credit Analyst at a bank. That’s when the tragic events of 9/11 took place. On the disastrous day, Saleh’s brother was working in the South Tower. The attacks forced Saleh to think deeply about his life. Ultimately, he decided to leave his 9-to-5 job to pursue his passion for coaching football.

Saleh started his coaching career in 2002. He joined the Michigan State University as an offensive assistant and the main focus of his job was – working with the Tight ends. Eventually, his dedication and hard work led him to become a defensive assistant for the DEs in 2003. This marked the beginning of Saleh’s journey in college football and he hasn’t looked back since then.

After spending a couple of years in college football, Saleh made the big move to the NFL in 2005. It was the Houston Texan who showed faith in him and offered him the intern coach job. Working under the guidance of seasoned coaches, Saleh joined the entourage of Richard Smith as a defensive assistant. He now has 18 years of coaching experience behind him, and he’s just starting to apply that to the New York Jets.

The Rise of Robert Saleh

After his early days in the NFL with the Houston Texans, Saleh quickly progressed to become a defensive assistant under the guidance of defense coordinator Richard Smith. After a few up and down years with the Texans, the next move up for Robert Saleh came at the Seattle Seahawks. He took on the role of defensive quality control under the mentorship of Pete Carroll. Jacksonville Jaguars was the next stop in Saleh’s journey. Gus Bradley was the HC at the time at Jacksonville, and Saleh found himself coaching the linebackers.

Saleh was regularly working in the NFL, but a major role still evaded him. This scenario changed in 2017 when Kyle Shanahan brought him to the San Franciso 49ers as a defensive coordinator. Robert Saleh really shined in this role and used all the coaching acumen that he had accumulated over the years. With Saleh guiding the defense, the 49ers recorded excellent defensive stats in 2019.

The stage was set for Saleh to finally eye the top job. Thus, when the opportunity to become the head coach of the New York Jets came, Saleh grabbed it with both hands. It was in January 2021, that Saleh signed a 5-year contract with the Jets. His first win came against the Tennessee Titans in an overtime thriller.

What started as a life introspection after the 9/11 attacks, ultimately culminated with Robert Saleh fulfilling his dream of becoming a successful NFL coach.