A story has been circulating about a group of Michigan state legislators endorsing San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh for the head-coaching vacancy with the Detroit Lions. Saleh has a link to Michigan. He grew up in Dearborn idolizing Barry Sanders, went to college at Northern Michigan University, got his master's degree from Michigan State, and has family in the area.
"We understand the difficulty of these upcoming decisions," read a letter authored by Rep. Abdullah Hammoud and his staff, which was sent to Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp. "As passionate and loyal Lions fans, we are asking you to hire Robert Saleh as the head coach of our team. He is the best candidate for the job and measures as such across every metric. A head coach like Robert can bring tremendous energy and heart to the franchise and would help us reach peaks that have seemed unobtainable for so long. We have an exceptional opportunity here and we trust you to make the best decision.
"To turn the corner and become a winning franchise, these next hiring decisions are critical. We hope that you will consider Robert Saleh as the head coach, not only for us, but for everyone across the loyal fanbase of our beloved Detroit Lions."
Saleh spoke with reporters via Zoom after Friday's practice in the 49ers' new home in Glendale, Arizona, and was asked about the endorsement from legislators for the Lions vacancy.
"To be completely honest, I didn't see anything or hear anything until I was coming off the practice field," Saleh responded. "I don't know what to make of it or anything like that, so it's just, whatever, I guess."
Right now, Saleh's focus is on Monday night's game against the Buffalo Bills. Anything else will have to wait until after the regular season.
"This league is so week to week, and the most important week right now is Monday Night Football against Buffalo," Saleh said. "We've got a team that's in the middle of the playoff hunt, so it's really a non-issue for me. I don't talk about it. I don't really even see it. I don't have social media. I don't look into the news. So, it's probably more for family and friends to enjoy and get a kick out of than it is for me.
"We're completely locked into Buffalo."
