The Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh on Tuesday, making him the first head coach to be fired this NFL season.
While many people were surprised by the move, former Jets offensive lineman and current Eagle Mekhi Becton doesn't seem to be one of them. After the news broke, Becton posted and quickly deleted a tweet implying that he was celebrating Saleh's firing even though he is no longer on the team.
Here's everything you need to know about Becton's reaction to Saleh's firing.
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What did Mekhi Becton tweet about Robert Saleh?
Becton posted a meme of a man celebrating the death of his nemesis by attending his hater's funeral.
Becton quickly deleted the post, a sign that he realized he shouldn't have expressed this opinion publically. That, however, didn't prevent his tweet from going viral.
Former Jets OT Mekhi Becton posted and deleted this after Robert Saleh’s firing 😬 https://t.co/vexa78OUni pic.twitter.com/0C9uuaGIFE
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) October 8, 2024
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Mekhi Becton funeral meme, explained
The funeral meme is popular on social media among those who enjoy it when their haters fail. The initial picture was posted by someone on X, formerly Twitter, a decade ago when he wanted to relish in the fact that his biggest hater was gone.
Since then, the meme has been popular on social media when people see the failure of their most hated players, coaches or teams as a way to acknowledge people are happy with their losses.
For example, 76ers star Joel Embiid tweeted it after Ben Simmons was traded from Philadelphia to Brooklyn, bringing an end to a drawn-out period that began with one of the most talked about passes in NBA history — and not in a good way.
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) February 10, 2022
For Becton, the implication appears that he did not enjoy his time playing for Saleh in New York.
MORE: Who is Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich?
Who is Mekhi Becton?
Becton was the Jets' first-round pick in 2020 and instantly became the team's starting left tackle. Although Becton started 13 games in his rookie year, that was under head coach Adam Gase. The Jets went 2-14 on the year.
After that season, New York hired Saleh, but Becton rarely played during his tenure. The offensive tackle suffered two season-ending injuries in 2021 and 2022, playing just one game in those two seasons. Becton was the Jets' starting right tackle for all 17 games last year, but the team opted not to re-sign him during free agency.
Becton instead signed with the Eagles, and he has started four games this year as Philadelphia's right guard.
