Harbaugh praises Herbert's leadership after elevator incident

For the Los Angeles Chargers, the night in their team hotel in Dallas on Friday was anything but normal. Around a dozen players at the Westin Downtown were stuck in an elevator without air conditioning for two hours.

Dallas Fire-Rescue sent its Urban Search and Rescue team to the hotel and thanks to their work, the tour group was able to crawl through a ceiling panel and escape.

Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said quarterback Justin Herbert was in the elevator and that players like rookie cornerback Tarheeb Still came up to him and said, “Justin Herbert is a leader.”

“He was a rock,” Harbaugh said, according to USA Today. “He calmed everyone down.”

Harbaugh was also impressed by how Herbert kept his cool in an elevator without air conditioning on a day in Dallas when temperatures were in the 80s.

“It was hot,” Harbaugh said. “When everyone got out of the elevator, everyone was sweating and some had their shirts off. Justin Herbert's hair was a little wet. But his shirt was completely dry. That was another thing that blew me away. The guy is just a beast.”

Harbaugh called the elevator incident “a shared experience” that brought the team closer together.

“Everyone kept their composure. In situations like this, it's a test of will,” Harbaugh said. “I was proud of each of the men and the two women who were in that elevator. It's a victory. You feel good. You accomplished it. You were challenged. And it was a test of will.”

After the elevator problem was resolved, Harbaugh invited the first responders to the Chargers' team dining room at the hotel.

“The Dallas Fire Department takes a big salute,” Harbaugh said, according to Pro Football Talk. “Without the Dallas Fire Department, this could have been a lot worse. It could have been a lot more hours. Who knows how it would have turned out.”

The Chargers beat the Cowboys 26-19 on Saturday and finished the preseason 1-2.