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The curtains at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium were closed on Friday ahead of the fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul.
The sun shining through the opening in the stadium wall recently blinded wide receiver CeeDee Lamb on potential touchdown catch as the Cowboys lost on Sunday to the Philadelphia Eagles.
After his incompletion that contributed to the Cowboys’ 34-6 loss, Lamb said on Sunday he would be “one thousand percent” in support of the team putting up curtains.
The Cowboys have been playing at AT&T Stadium since 2009. Windows in the west side of the stadium, set just above the end zone, have previously caused problems during the Cowboys’ afternoon games.
One example of sun interference came during the 2022 NFC Wild Card game, when wide receiver Cedrick Wilson said the glare stopped him from making a catch on a third down.
Despite multiple receivers reporting problems with the sun over the years, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has repeatedly dismissed the idea of making an adjustment to the stadium’s set-up. Most recently he said that the open window was made to make the stadium “feel like it’s outdoors when you’re indoors.”
“It was built to have the sunlight coming in,” Jones said.
The Tyson-Paul bout isn’t the only event for which AT&T Stadium has put up curtains. Following Lamb’s comments, reporters shared images of the blackout curtains used at the venue for other events including concerts, NCAA Tournament games and WWE’s WrestleMania.
It looks like the curtains will again be shut for Friday night’s fight between 58-year-old former world heavyweight champion Tyson and 27-year-old former YouTuber Paul.
Friday night’s bout marks Tyson’s first professional fight since 2005, and the 31-year age gap between Tyson and Paul marks the largest in professional boxing history. Main card action kicks off at 8 p.m. ET and will be streamed on Netflix.
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