A large piece of sheet metal fell from the roof at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas as the retractable ceiling was opening before Monday night’s game between the Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys.
Several reporters on hand, including NBC 5 DFW’s Noah Bullard, took photos and videos of the fragment, which was quite large. Fortunately, the metal did not hit anyone as it fell from the roof, though several working in production at the stadium were reportedly nearby.
Following the large piece of metal falling, stadium officials decided to close the roof. However, photographers and reporters that a loose piece of metal is still hanging from the rafters.
No word on whether or not the other piece of metal is in danger of falling or can be removed in the next couple of hours. But with an NFL game set to be played—and nationally televised on ESPN and ABC for “Monday Night Football—there is presumably some urgency to address the matter.
At least one stadium worker was seen picking up other debris from the rafters as players warmed up for Monday’s game.
The Cowboys issued a statement shortly after news of the incident circulated.
“We can confirm a piece of metal came loose and fell to the field (with some additional small debris) while the roof was in the process of opening,” the Cowboys said in a statement. “There were no injuries. It is being reviewed further, and a decision regarding the ability to re-open the roof safely will be made.”
Since nobody was hurt, plenty of fans on social media naturally had jokes about the mishap.
For one, that sheet of metal looks like it could perhaps be large enough to block out the sunlight streaming through windows on the west side of the stadium. The blinding light has affected players on the field, notably Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb recently.
Others joke that this could be damage left over from the boxing event held at AT&T Stadium on Friday, headlined by the bout between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson. And viewers thought tech issues with the Netflix stream were the only problem plaguing the production.
Humor aside, the Cowboys have not yet shared what caused the piece of metal to fall from the roof. That is surely still to be determined. However, the initial excitement over opening the stadium roof for the first time in two years was quickly dashed by a very concerning incident that could have resulted in people getting seriously hurt.
