Cowboys practice field roof collapses

A dome covering the Dallas Cowboys' indoor practice field at Valley Ranch has collapsed. Details to come.

 

All players and coaches are accounted for. They were holding a rookie mini-camp today when a strong thunderstorm hit Valley Ranch with straight-line winds. There's at least one injury according to an eyewitness.

Tim MacMahon update:

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/05/cowboys-indoor-facility-collapses-during.html

 

Jerrah! was on NBC's Derby coverage. He said some meeting rooms and offices were damaged.

 

Hopefully the coke stash didn't blow away.

 

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Shit. I've spent a lot of time under that blow-up dome in storms. I wonder why this thunderstorm did it it. It was a nasty cell, but it wasn't any worse than other Texas spring storms that have come through the Metroplex.

 

AP saying four injured. All players and coaches are accounted for, and the injured are staff members.

 

Costas said it was a tornado. It fucking ripped that thing apart.

 

Just saw the pictahs while watching the Derby coverage. Thank god no one was killed.

 

They're saying on NBC that a tornado is what did the damage.

Hah, Angola beat me.

I've been in that facility multiple times, and I don't think it had any sort of real structural support other than a very basic lighting structure. It's similar to a lot of those indoor soccer facilities you see once in a while. I always wondered how it stood up to hail, but it's been through some nasty hailstorms before.

The people who lived in Valley Ranch always hated the thing because it was freaking huge. At least they'll be happy it's gone.

 

I think this is proof there is a God and He hates the fucking Cowboys too.

(Too soon for jokes?)

 

Fox Dallas is saying it was straight-line winds and not a tornado that knocked it down.

One of the camera guys who was injured is Larry Rodriguez. If that name sounds familiar he's the cameraman Kenny Rogers attacked a few years ago.

They're interviewing him right now. They had to put some stitches in his hand but he says he's ok. They also have some raw footage he shot - I would assume after he cut his hand - from what was "inside" the bubble after it collapsed. Pretty incredible stuff.