ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh lauded quarterback Justin Herbert and other players who were stuck in an elevator for two hours at the team hotel the night before a preseason game at Dallas.
Harbaugh said Herbert was among “11 or 12 of our players” on the elevator, as was Jeri Fouts, the wife of Pro Football Hall of Famer and Chargers TV analyst Dan Fouts.
Dallas Fire-Rescue assisted all the people who were stuck by lifting them through ceiling panels into an adjacent elevator Friday night. Before the rescue, a technician tried unsuccessfully to get the elevator moving.
Fire officials said the elevator was stuck somewhere between third and 15th floors at The Westin in downtown Dallas, about 15 miles from the Cowboys’ stadium in Arlington.
The Chargers won the preseason game 26-19 on Saturday. Herbert and the other starters for the Chargers didn’t play. LA opens the regular season Sept. 8 at home against the Las Vegas Raiders.
“You get in those situations, and it’s a test of wills,” Harbaugh said. “I was proud of each of the guys and the two women that were on that elevator. That’s a win. You feel good about yourself. You were challenged. It was a test of will, and you pull it down, or pull it in.”
The coach said he just missed being on the elevator that got stuck, and saw everyone as they emerged from the rescue effort.
“And it was hot,” Harbaugh said. “As each person came off the elevator, sweating and some had the shirt off. Justin Herbert, his hair was a little wet. But his shirt was completely dry. That was another thing that blew me away.”
Harbaugh said Jeri Fouts and several players, including some rookies who were among those trapped, were impressed by Herbert’s poise.
“Justin Herbert’s a leader. He was a rock. Kept everybody calm,” Harbaugh said, quoting the players. “And everybody kept their poise.”
Harbaugh confirmed that he invited Dallas fire personnel to the team’s meal room to eat after the players were freed.
“Without the Dallas Fire Department, could have been a lot worse,” Harbaugh said. “Could have been a lot more hours. Who knows how it would have ended.”
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