Cowboys vs. Chargers: Jim Harbaugh talks about elevator incident

ARLINGTON, Texas – Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh praised quarterback Justin Herbert and other players who were stuck in the elevator at the team's hotel for two hours the night before a preseason game in Dallas.

Harbaugh said Herbert was among “11 or 12 of our players” in the elevator, as was Jeri Fouts, the wife of Dan Fouts, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and a TV commentator for the Chargers.

Dallas Fire-Rescue helped all of the trapped people by lifting them through ceiling panels into a nearby elevator Friday evening. Before the rescue, a technician tried unsuccessfully to get the elevator moving.

According to fire officials, the elevator was stuck somewhere between the third and 15th floors of the Westin in downtown Dallas, about 15 miles from the Cowboys' stadium in Arlington.

The Chargers won the preseason game on Saturday 26-19. Herbert and the other Chargers starters did not play. LA opens the regular season on September 8 at home against the Las Vegas Raiders.

“You get into situations like that and it's a test of will,” Harbaugh said. “I was proud of each of the men and the two women who were in that elevator. It's a victory. It makes you feel good. You were challenged. It was a test of will and you either make it down or you make it in.”

The trainer said he narrowly missed the stuck elevator and saw everyone coming out of the rescue team.

“And it was hot,” Harbaugh said. “When people came out of the elevator, they were all sweaty and some had their shirts off. Justin Herbert's 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 locked up, were impressed by Herbert's demeanor.

“Justin Herbert is a leader. He was a rock. He calmed everyone down,” Harbaugh quoted the players as saying. “And everyone kept their composure.”

Harbaugh confirmed that after the players were rescued, he invited Dallas firefighters to dinner in the team's dining room.

“Without the Dallas Fire Department, it could have been a lot worse,” Harbaugh said. “It could have been a lot more hours. Who knows how it would have turned out.”