Video: Cowboys practice facility collapses
posted at 10:45 am on May 3, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
At first, I thought this was more of a joke. The Metrodome here in Minneapolis has had the soft roof collapse on occasion, which created more of a headache than an emergency. This was more of a total collapse of the building, and a few Cowboys got injured badly enough to go to the hospital, including one broken back. The footage from the inside is pretty dramatic:
I can’t stand the Cowboys, but hopefully everyone recovers quickly and fully. The special-teams coach broke two vertebra in his back, and others suffered knee and head injuries, but it could have been worse. Electrical lines broke, and head coach Wade Phillips noted that it was almost a miracle no one got electrocuted with all of the water on the ground.
Someone has to explain how the team came to use a building that couldn’t stand up to a Texas storm, though, and why no one evacuated the air-bubble structure when the winds got high enough. Jerry Jones built it six years ago, so he’s the one who has to answer some questions.
Blowback
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SWAGGA T.J. Holmes makes it big on CNN. He needs a humble pill.
wepeople on May 3, 2009 at 4:15 PM
conservnut on May 3, 2009 at 3:37 PM
hahaha, had no idea! great story
maverick muse on May 3, 2009 at 4:27 PM
IFL–International Football League.
jgapinoy on May 3, 2009 at 4:35 PM
????
No one was killed.
No one wants anyone to suffer.
Everyone wants all involved to recover.
If some people get hurt at a Pepsi bottling plant, are we not allowed to voice any preference for Coke until all are healed?
jgapinoy on May 3, 2009 at 4:40 PM
Bad omen for the upcoming season?
SouthernGent on May 3, 2009 at 4:55 PM
Yeah the rain was coming in sideways during that first wave.
The 60 foot flag pole in front of our offices was bent over at the top about 4-5 feet. We thought it was going to snap.
Then again, this is Texas, so it’s fifteen minutes of crossing yourself and 23 3/4 hours of reaching for a beer.
Limerick on May 3, 2009 at 4:57 PM
Ouch. My old boss is not gonna like this…
ElRonaldo on May 3, 2009 at 5:00 PM
blockquote>Video: Cowboys practice facility collapses
Video: Cowboys’ practice facility collapses
Had the headline been punctuated, I would have known to click through, to read about the collapse of the Cowboys’ practice facility. As matters stood, I wondered: Who is practicing facility collapses? And are they practicing to make them collapse or are they practicing to rescue people trapped in the rubble? For want of an apostrophe, the meaning was lost.
Kralizec on May 3, 2009 at 5:13 PM
And for want of an angle bracket, the tag was lost.
Kralizec on May 3, 2009 at 5:14 PM
TexasDan,
Do you think the over pressure necessary to support the structure combined with the low pressure of the micro burst caused the structure to fail (explode) from the inside?
jimboslice on May 3, 2009 at 6:22 PM
Football is for sissies, Ed. Besides — you completely MISSED the really BIG sports story of the weekend.
My collie says:
CyberCipher on May 3, 2009 at 6:47 PM
They said a while ago on Fox that the assistant coach is paralyzed from the waist down. Truly tragic.
TXMomof3 on May 3, 2009 at 8:29 PM
Where was FEMA? Obama doesn’t care about football players.
Kafir on May 3, 2009 at 8:33 PM
When it comes to the details of fluid dynamics, I’m pretty much a layman. And these pressure domes are specialized structures, but the concepts are fairly elementary. But yeah, the dynamic loading on the outside would be imbalanced (pressure in/down on the windward side, and up/out on the leeward, and usually up/out on the ends.) The interior pressure would factor in too, but that ought to be uniform and normal to the surface of the dome (which curves, of course.) However it worked, that thing sure got moving.
Also I said earlier design wind speed in Dallas is 90, but I’m thinking now it may actually be 70. It’s been a few years since my last Dallas job.
TexasDan on May 3, 2009 at 8:35 PM
That’s awful.
TexasDan on May 3, 2009 at 8:36 PM
In building failures or collapses, there are several factors that contribute. It is never just one thing. It could be design errors, construction errors, or both.
The way the structure was swaying, there may not have been sufficient bracing for the roof joists.
If there were sudden gales of extreme speed, the air pressure outside would gone negative quickly, which may have caused the building to “blow up.”
The crash at DFW years ago was due to wind shear. Perhaps there was a freak down draft that hit the building and caused it to flatten.
Perhaps the design of the structure did not anticipate high enough simultaneous rain loads and wind loads.
No doubt there are forensic engineering firms already combing the wreckage looking for clues as to what initiated the collapse. By this time everybody is lawyering-up: The Cowboys, the insurance companies, the general contractor, the engineer, the victims. This collapse is its own little stimulus plan that will keep many people busy sorting through the litigation.
That being said, where was Jessica Simpson at the time???
Mallard T. Drake on May 3, 2009 at 8:48 PM
Next, you’ll be saying something like:
“I can’t stand fiscal responsibiity” or something.
Ed, we’ve never met; I’m just an anonymous commenter in a digital forum. Generally a non-personal exchange. That has all changed now.
Remember, you made it personal.
Can’t stand the Cowboys. Christ almighty…what’s the world coming to.
BobMbx on May 3, 2009 at 8:54 PM
Enough with the tasteless jokes. A person was paralyzed from the waist down in that incident.
Petaluma Patriot on May 3, 2009 at 10:21 PM
.
Sunsets are orange in support of the Broncos.
.
Given the nature of the facility, and with modern spinal treatment, the coach stands a fair chance of recovering the use of his legs.
darktood on May 4, 2009 at 4:24 AM
My thoughts and prayers are with all that were injured and I sincerely hope they all have a full and speedy recovery.
Now on to an important question, does anyone know of TO’s whereabouts when this happened?
Just curious…./
Liberty or Death on May 4, 2009 at 11:54 AM
I want it to be known that my wise-crack was made before I’d heard that a trainer was paralyzed from the accident. My prayers are with all involved.
Big John on May 4, 2009 at 4:25 PM
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