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Monday Night Football: Metal fragment falls from AT&T Stadium roof after opening before Texans-Cowboys game

The retractable roof was subsequently closed for safety reasons, though danger might remain

ian casselberry
Contributing writer
·3 min read
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In this general, overall, exterior view of AT&T Stadium, the setting sun reflects its' sunlight on the home of the Dallas Cowboys, after an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
Opening the retractable roof at AT&T Stadium for the Week 11 NFL game between the Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys turned out to be an unsafe decision. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)

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 noted 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.

Meanwhile, amid concerns from NFL security that the game wasn't safe to play, the larger piece of metal was bolted to a catwalk to prevent it from falling onto the field, ESPN's Lisa Salters reported. The network showed video of the metal falling to the stadium turf.

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."

The team also said high winds during the day may have caused the issue, according to ESPN's Todd Archer.

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 joked 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.