San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has been hired as head coach by the New York Jets, making him the NFL's first Muslim head coach in the league's history, NBC News reports.
"We've reached an agreement in principle with Robert Saleh to become our head coach," the Jets announced in a statement on Thursday.
"We welcome this development as another sign of the increasing inclusion and recognition of American Muslims in our diverse society," Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesperson for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a statement, per NBC News. Although Saleh will be the league's first Muslim head coach, he will be the third Arab American to coach in the NFL after Abe Gibran and Rich Kotite. All three are of Lebanese descent.
Prior to working with the 49ers, Saleh was a defensive assistant with the Jaguars, Seahawks, and Texans.
