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Robert Saleh clarifies stance on abuse-laden altercation with Jaguars head coach Liam Coen: ‘Everyone in the league…’
Jaguars head coach Liam Coen cursed at 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh during a NFL game.
The San Francisco 49ers fell to a 21-26 defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday. It was a disappointing result for the 49ers, and the game also saw controversy. Jaguars head coach Liam Coen cursed at 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh as players and coaches were on the field. He had a problem with Saleh's comments about Jacksonville's 'legal sign-stealing'.
It got tense, and both had to be held back. Later, Saleh clarified his stance. He said, "It's all good, whatever happened on Sunday doesn't change how I feel. In my heart, I genuinely was trying to give a compliment. I own the fact that I probably used the wrong choice of words, but however you want to word it, they're really, really good at putting their players in position to be successful."
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"As coaches, we're always chasing leverage. They're trying to have winning leverage, we're trying to take leverage away. Everyone in the league is trying to find every avenue they can…. Every team does it. Some do it better than others. And it was my way of acknowledging that these guys are really, really good at it. … I think Liam is doing a hell of a job. I really do."
Saleh also praised Coen's Jaguars, who are off to a 3-1 start. "I think Liam's doing a hell of a job. I really do. You can tell that that team's really taking on his personality and I hope they came out of the game healthy, and I wish him the best of luck throughout the rest of the season. I wish I could have found a better choice of words, but my intent was always to compliment that football staff," he said.
Saleh was previously the head coach of the New York Jets from 2021-24. During the altercation, Coen was heard saying, "Keep my name out of your mouth. Keep my name out of your f****** mouth."
Saleh reportedly replied, "I will f*** your world up."
