Chargers' Jim Harbaugh Praises Justin Herbert For Being Leader While Some Players Were Stuck In Elevator

Valentina Martinez | Aug 25, 2024

Jul 24, 2024; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh speaks to the media after the first day of training camp at The Bolt. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports / Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh revealed Justin Herbert was among the players stuck in an elevator of a Dallas hotel Friday night. Herbert was the undisputed leader of the stranded party, according to Harbaugh.

“The remarkable things that came out of it was, to a guy, young rookie players, ‘Justin Herbert’s a leader. He was a rock. Kept everybody calm,’” Harbaugh told reporters. “Jeri Fouts told me the same thing, pulled me aside after they got out, just how great Justin was. And everybody kept their poise."

Harbaugh also disclosed that other members of the stranded group included Hall of Famer Dan Fouts' wife, Jeri. The elevator was stuck in a "blind shaft" somewhere between the third and fifteenth floors of the Dallas hotel.

“You get in those situations, and it’s a test of wills. I was proud of each of the guys and the two women that were on that elevator," Harbaugh continued. "That’s a win. You feel good about yourself. You were challenged. It was a test of will, and you pull it down, or pull it in. It was a camaraderie amongst that group that is even stronger than it was before.”

Chargers players and members of the traveling party were stuck in the elevator without air conditioning for two hours, but that didn't affect Herbert.

“Justin Herbert, his hair was a little wet, but his shirt was completely dry,” Harbaugh said. “That was another thing that blew me away. The guy is just a beast.

“We dodged a bullet. I usually think of dodging a bullet of dodging an injury in football. You’ve got to get good at that. You’ve got to get good at making yourself harder to break.

“That’s a shared experience that brought them closer together. I just missed it, being on that elevator. It was like, ‘Wish I could have been there with those guys.’ But Justin Herbert was.”

Dallas Fire Rescue was on the scene and had to assist every person one by one through the ceiling panel to an adjacent elevator.

“The Dallas Fire Department, take a deep, long bow,” Harbaugh added. “Without the Dallas Fire Department, could have been a lot worse. Could have been a lot more hours. Who knows how it would have ended.”

It looks as though the Chargers have already faced some adversity before the regular season begins. Despite the scary incident, Herbert taking care of his teammates was the silver lining of it all.