Jim Harbaugh’s reputation as a football psycho was further reinforced by his take on the Los Angeles Chargers’ recent elevator emergency.
On Friday, several Chargers players were trapped in a Westin hotel elevator in downtown Dallas, Texas. The incident occurred on the night before their preseason finale against the Dallas Cowboys.
The Dallas Fire-Rescue Department came to the players’ aid as they exited one-by-one through a ceiling panel. Nobody was hurt during the rescue operation.
On Saturday, Harbaugh was asked about the elevator mishap. The 60-year-old coach stated that the team had “dodged a bullet” since the entire thing could have gone a lot worse.
But Harbaugh also chose to see the positive in the experience and even went so far as to frame it as a chemistry-building activity. Harbaugh also admitted that he wishes he was on the elevator with his team.
“That’s a shared experience that brought them closer together,” said Harbaugh. “I just missed it, being on that elevator. It was like, ‘Wish I could have been there with those guys.'”
Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh on hotel elevator incident: "We dodged a bullet…It was a shared experience, 11 or 12 of our players were there for about two hours. It brought them closer together. I just missed out on being out on the elevator. I wish I could've been there with those… pic.twitter.com/JcijcOCuSQ
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) August 24, 2024
There were said to be about a dozen Chargers players stuck in the elevator alongside a few members of the team’s traveling party. Having FOMO over what sounded like a very uncomfortable ordeal for the sake of camaraderie is something only Harbaugh would feel.
Harbaugh went on to praise Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, who was one of the players stuck in the elevator. Harbaugh revealed that the people who were inside the elevator pointed to Herbert as “the rock” that “kept everyone calm” as they waited for help.
When it comes to Harbaugh, everything can be viewed through the lens of football. His viral quotes throughout training camp are a testament to that.
