Brian Schottenheimer’s Unusual Visitor

On Thursday, Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer had quite the surprise at home—a flying owl. At 52 years old, he certainly had not anticipated such a visit.

After a game plan meeting focused on red zone strategies, Schottenheimer emerged around 10 p.m. to find his phone buzzing with 72 text messages. “I guess I’m popular,” he remarked lightheartedly while talking to reporters the next day.

The unusual situation began with his son sending an email to his mother about a bird that seemed to be the size of a hawk. Schottenheimer, curious, looked around and indeed spotted an owl in his living room.

He reached out to his soon-to-be-born niece and nephew for advice, but it seems they were less than helpful. “We aren’t really outdoorsy,” he quipped, noting that they didn’t know what to do either. In a classic coaching move, Schottenheimer informed his wife he’d be staying at the condo that night.

Eventually, animal control was called in to handle the situation. Schottenheimer commented humorously about the experience, joking that perhaps he should consider becoming an animal control officer given his newfound skills with wildlife. “I’m now very experienced with wildlife in and around Dallas,” he joked.

This was not Schottenheimer’s first brush with nature this season. Before the Cowboys secured their first win against the New York Giants, he faced issues with snakes around his home. Just a week prior, two of his dogs were actually bitten by snakes, but luckily, the team managed to pull together and come through with a victory.

Despite all these surprises, the owl seemed to bring some good luck. Schottenheimer mused that he’d even consider keeping an elephant in his garage if it meant helping the Cowboys win more games. Currently, the Cowboys hold a 3-4-1 record and will take on the Arizona Cardinals on Monday at 8:15 p.m. ET.