Jim Harbaugh on elevator emergency that trapped Chargers players for hours: ‘I wish I could have been there’

The Los Angeles Chargers had to navigate an alarming situation on Friday when several of their players and traveling staff members found themselves stuck in an elevator.

In total, 15 people were in the elevator and ultimately had to be rescued. Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh was not among them, but for whatever reason, he seemingly wishes he had been.

“We dodged a bullet,” Harbaugh said. “I mean, I usually think of dodging a bullet of, you know, dodging an injury in football. But, I mean, it was a shared experience. Eleven or 12 of our players were there for about two hours, and that’s a shared experience. I mean, brought them closer together. I just missed it, you know, being on that elevator, and it’s like, I wish I could have been there with those guys.”

Harbaugh’s comments might puzzle some, but he may wish that he could’ve been on the elevator to be a source of support for the others or simply be part of the “shared experience.”

The Chargers were in Dallas to play their final game of the 2024 preseason against the Dallas Cowboys. The emergency took place inside a Dallas hotel.

The Dallas Fire-Rescue team found that the elevator was stuck in a “blind shaft.” The responders were able to help the trapped individuals escape one at a time through the elevator’s ceiling panel and into an adjacent elevator.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was among those trapped in the elevator, and he was praised for being a leader during the frightening situation.

The Dallas fire personnel were invited to the Chargers’ meal room to eat after the trapped individuals 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.”

After all that, the Chargers were able to take care of business against the Cowboys on Saturday, earning a 26-19 win. The victory gave L.A. its first and only win of the preseason.

The Chargers will now have a little bit of time before taking the field again for their regular-season opener, which is set for Sept. 8 against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Harbaugh is entering his first season as the team’s head coach and is looking to help L.A. turn things around after an incredibly disappointing 2023 season in which the Chargers went 5-12.

Harbaugh just helped the University of Michigan win a national championship and now has his sights set on a Super Bowl ring.