Leading the Chargers this season, Jim Harbaugh had a short sting as head coach for the 49ers. After which, he went on to coach Michigan for 8 years before returning to the NFL last year. However, his time in the Bay Area could be remembered for his insights into building Levi’s Stadium, which was inaugurated in 2014.

Although it could be a rumor, as revealed by radio broadcaster Andrew Siciliano, Harbaugh gave his thoughts on protecting his players from the sun. “Legend has it that when they opened Levi’s Stadium, they brought Jim Harbaugh to the stadium. And they said all right, We will go on a tour.” But at the end of that tour, Harbaugh wasn’t impressed with the way their home bench was getting exposed to the sun.

“I am staring into the sun the way the stadium is situated there in Santa Clara. I’m staring into the sun, and my players are going to melt. Well, the Niners didn’t listen to Harbaugh’s suggestion at first, but they eventually gave up when the then-49ers head coach only wanted to remain in the shades, “Bleep this, we’re gonna be on the other sidelines in the shades.” 

As Harbaugh wanted his players protected from the sun, someone in Dallas found himself getting blindsided because of the sun rays peeking through the stadium. Taking on the Eagles at AT&T Stadium, there was a moment in the second quarter when Cooper Rush had CeeDee Lamb wide open. With the Cowboys trailing by just 4 points, that TD could have brought them back into the game.

However, Lamb couldn’t judge the ball as he lost because of the sunlight directly falling on his eyes. After the defeat, when Lamb was asked whether he would be in favor of putting curtains up, he gave a straightforward answer, “Yes, 1,000%.” Well, the state-of-the-art stadium already uses curtains to block sun rays from coming through whenever a concert or ceremony is going through. But Jerry Jones wasn’t buying that idea as he put it under the category of home-field advantage.

Jerry Jones refuses to hear Lamb’s plea for curtains at AT&T Stadium

Missing their starting QB Dak Prescott in Dallas, Copper Rush was handed the keys to the Cowboys offense. And boy, he was miserable as he finished with just 13-of-23 passes for 45 yards. Rush couldn’t even complete 50 yards as Trey Lance replaced him in the fourth quarter. As the Cowboys fell to their 6th defeat of the season, Jones had other concerns to worry about.

Downplaying Lamb’s plea of using curtains in afternoon matches, Jones didn’t want to address any such concern, “Of all the things that we need to improve, that is way down the list. That stadium was built to feel like you’re outdoors. Every venue has certain things that at certain ways and times can create an advantage. That really goes under the category of home-field advantage.” He even called his stadium an asset instead of the liability that players are calling it now. Their former OC, Kellen Moore, consulted the weather experts to know when the sun would be shining at its brightest.

“Kellen Moore knew about it. He spent, I’m sure he spent a lot of time. I’m sure he spent a lot of time planning and thinking about where the sun is going to be.” Given the excuses Jones is making for not putting curtains down. The Cowboys might have to do it with sunlight blazing over their eyes.