Dallas Cowboys Open Their $1.3B Stadium Roof for First Time in 2 Years — and Pieces of Metal Fall on Field
Owner Jerry Jones blamed the incident on an early-morning storm which brought high wind gusts through the area
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The sky is falling on the Dallas Cowboys’ season — starting with a piece of the roof from AT&T Stadium.
On Monday, Nov. 18, a few hours before the team faced the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football, staff made the decision to open the retractable roof at the Arlington, Texas stadium, and a large piece of sheet metal and other debris fell onto the field.
No injuries were reported in what one ESPN reporter called a “bizarre” incident. The roof was then closed and the team briefly deliberated re-opening it but the penalty was declined.
The last time the Cowboys opened the roof for a game was in 2022, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones blamed the roof fail on a cold front which moved through the Dallas-Fort Worth area Monday morning, bringing rain and high winds.
“You had wind gusts all day long and the wind apparently did a little damage, then when we tried to open up, the winds got underneath the roof at that time,” Jones told reporters after the game. “So everybody agreed that it did some damage, but if you check around, Dallas had wind gusts all afternoon.”
At one point before kickoff, Cowboys personnel could be seen pointing up to a catwalk high above the field before the game, where another piece of metal had to be bolted to the roof.
Still, Jones says safety was a priority in the wake of the incident.
Kevin Jairaj/Imagn
“They wouldn’t have done this game or started this game had there been any risk at all.” Jones said. “Not only the NFL wouldn’t, but I wouldn’t. If there’s any risk at all. And there was no risk at all before the start of the game.”
For the 82-year-old owner and the now 3-7 Cowboys — who were smothered by the Texans’ defense and trounced to the tune of 34-10 — the defeat comes amid a frustrating season which includes the loss of quarterback Dak Prescott, who had season-ending surgery on his hamstring.
Related: Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Dak Prescott Is Engaged to Girlfriend Sarah Jane Ramos! '4ever'
Last week, the stadium made news for another curious issue — its lack of sun “screens” on a large bank of windows above the end zone.
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When Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb blamed the glare for dropping an easy catch, Jones batted back the notion that the stadium was the problem.
"Of all the things that we need to improve, that is way down the list of improvement," Jones said on 105.3 The FAN radio.
