![[UPDATE] Louisiana Officials Make Decision About Sugar Bowl](https://celebjam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/UPDATE-Louisiana-Officials-Make-Decision-About-Sugar-Bowl.jpg)
UPDATE, 5 p.m.: The Sugar Bowl will kick off at 4 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, according to ESPN.
UPDATE, 2:30 p.m.: During a press conference featuring federal, state, and local authorities, Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley announced that the game will be postponed for 24 hours and will now take place on Thursday, Jan. 2, at 7:45 p.m. local time (8:45 Eastern).
“We have been in consultation with ESPN, with the College Football Playoff, with the Southeastern Conference, with the University of Georgia, with Notre Dame, all parties, and agree that it’s in the best interest of everybody in public safety that we postpone the game for 24 hours,” Hundley said. “Work is fast about to set up a safe and efficient and fun environment for tomorrow night. There’ll be more details on that in the coming hours, but for now, that’s the plan that we’re going to move forward and play the game.”
“And again, we reiterate our thanks to everyone up here for the work, important work they’re doing,” he concluded. “We live in the fun and games world with what we do, but we certainly recognize the importance of this and we’re going to support it 100%.”
University of Georgia President Jere Morehead announced that one of the victims in the hospital is a UGA student:
Original article: Earlier on New Year’s morning, my friend and colleague Robert Spencer shared the news of the horrific attack in New Orleans as revelers rang in the new year. Law enforcement and local officials are divided on whether the incident was a terrorist attack, but it was a tragic loss of life nevertheless.
“At 3:15 a.m. on the morning of New Year’s Day, a man barreled a large truck into a massive crowd of revelers on Canal and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing at least ten people and injuring dozens more,” Robert wrote. “This was no accident; he was clearly targeting the crowd intentionally. After he crashed his truck, the driver got out and began firing at police officers, injuring two of them, and was himself killed in the firefight with the cops. When the police searched his truck, they found improvised explosive devices.”
Before the attack, all eyes were on New Orleans for another event: the Sugar Bowl, which takes place on Wednesday night as part of the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. The game will go on as planned, although no doubt the mood will be more subdued and even somber.
Both of the schools whose teams are playing in the Sugar Bowl have addressed the attack. The University of Georgia issued a statement on X: “We are horrified and saddened by the senseless act of violence that occurred in the early hours of New Year’s Day in New Orleans. University personnel are working to determine if any UGA students, faculty, staff, alumni, or fans were among the victims. We offer our deepest condolences to all the victims and their families, and we stand in solidarity with the New Orleans community.” UGA urged fans to avoid the area of Bourbon, Canal, and St. Ann Streets as police investigate.
Related: [UPDATE] At Least Ten Dead in New Orleans Attack, FBI Now Says It’s Terrorism
The University of Notre Dame posted on X as well, stating, “We are aware of the incident this morning in New Orleans and are working with law enforcement and others to determine the full scope and impact of the tragedy.” The school is asking fans to pray “for those injured and lost in this senseless act of violence.”
“The Sugar Bowl Committee is devastated by the terrible events from early this morning,” Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. We are in ongoing discussions with authorities on the local, state, and federal levels and will communicate further details as they become available.”
Police and other local officials say that they are working to ensure the safety at the Sugar Bowl and have assured fans that the game will go on as planned. No doubt there will be a greater law enforcement presence and stricter security at the Caesars Superdome,
The Athletic reports, “In a morning briefing with reporters, New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said authorities were ‘going to make sure that our routes and the Superdome are safe today for the game.’” Kirkpatrick also said that most of those injured were locals rather than visitors.
The driver “was hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did,” Kirkpatrick said, as ESPN reports. “It was very intentional behavior. This man was trying to run over as many people as he could.”
Other bowl game locations are beefing up security as well. ESPN reports that Atlanta Police “would deploy specialized units and additional personnel to the area around Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Wednesday” for the Peach Bowl.
Let’s all continue to pray for those injured in the attack, as well as for the families of those who lost their lives. As big as this football game is, rallying around the New Orleans community is even bigger.
