The Chargers wrapped up their 2024 preseason on Saturday with a 26-19 road win over the Cowboys. In addition to capping off Los Angeles’ exhibition schedule, the win capped an eventful weekend in Dallas for the team.
On Friday night, 15 members of the Chargers’ traveling party were trapped in an elevator at the Westin Hotel in downtown Dallas. While news of the incident surfaced relatively quickly, head coach Jim Harbaugh, who was not in the elevator, waited until after the preseason win to provide more details.
Here’s what Harbaugh had to say about the situation and its impact on his team during his time in Dallas.
Chargers Elevator Incident, Explained
On Friday, Dallas firefighters responded to an elevator emergency at the Westin Hotel. An elevator was stuck somewhere between the third and 15th floors of the hotel and required the DFR Urban Search and Rescue team to respond. according to a WFAA report.
According to Harbaugh, the elevator contained “11 or 12” Chargers players, as well as several other people connected to the team. The trapped individuals were removed one by one through the elevator’s ceiling panel, the team’s official statement revealed.
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) August 24, 2024
In a media interview Saturday, Harbaugh spoke about how he thinks the incident brought the team closer together.
“We dodged a bullet. I mean, I usually think about dodging a bullet, you know, dodging an injury in football.” Harbaugh said after the Chargers victory.
“But it was a shared experience – 11 or 12 of our players were there for about two hours, and it’s a shared experience. I mean, it brought them closer together. I missed, you know, being in that elevator, and it’s like I wish I could have been there with those guys.”
Among the players in the elevator was franchise quarterback Justin Herbert, whom Harbaugh praised for showing leadership in a stressful situation.
“Justin Herbert is a leader. He was a rock. He kept everybody calm,” Harbaugh said, citing other players in the elevator. “And everybody kept their cool.”
Harbaugh and the Chargers organization also commended the DFR for its work in getting everyone involved to safety after a stressful ordeal.
“You get into these situations, and it’s a test of will,” Harbaugh said. “I was proud of every single man and two women that were in that elevator. It’s a victory. You feel good about yourself. You were challenged. It was a test of will, and you get it down or you get it back up.”
After a stressful stay in Dallas, the Chargers return to Los Angeles, where they will stay to host a divisional showdown with the Raiders in Week 1.
