Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – A large sheet of metal fell from the roof of the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium on Monday, hours before the struggling team was due to take on the Houston Texans. Footage shared by US media showed a roughly two-meter panel of metal which plunged from the ceiling of the stadium shortly after the venue’s retractable roof was opened for the first time since 2022. The roof at the $1.3 billion venue, which will host games at the 2026 World Cup, was closed shortly afterwards.
A spokesperson for the Cowboys said a decision on when to open the roof again “safely” would be made later, adding that no injuries were reported from the incident. “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 spokesperson 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 when possible.”
The incident was the latest mishap in what has been a disastrous season for the Cowboys, one of the NFL’s most iconic franchises. The Cowboys have not yet won a home game and are languishing in third place in the NFC East with a 3-6 record, behind Philadelphia and Washington. The Cowboys have also lost starting quarterback Dak Prescott to injury for the rest of the campaign after he was forced to undergo surgery on a serious hamstring injury.
The AT&T Stadium was opened in 2009 and regularly hosts major sporting events and concerts in addition to Cowboys home games. On Friday, the venue staged Mike Tyson’s boxing clash with Jake Paul, while the stadium will also be used for several games at the 2026 World Cup.
© 2024 AFP
