Wednesday’s Sugar Bowl game between Georgia and Notre Dame was postponed after the deadly attack in New Orleans that left at least ten people dead.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sanky released a statement saying the decision was made in the best interest public safety.
“The decision to postpone tonight’s Sugar Bowl was made in the interest of public safety. Lives were tragically lost last night and we are grateful that government officials and law enforcement agencies continue to work diligently to ensure the safety of the New Orleans community. Sankey said.
The University of Notre Dame and President Robert A. Dowd released a statement praying for the safety of those affected.
University of Georgia President Jere W. Morehead also issued a statement.
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Emergency crews respond to Bourbon Street after a vehicle crashed into a crowd at New Orleans Canal and Bourbon Street on Wednesday, January 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The FBI is currently working to determine “the subject’s potential associations and ties with terrorist organizations” after an ISIS flag was found in the truck. Weapons and a possible IED were located in the suspect’s vehicle and other potential IEDs were also located in the French Quarter.
Some college football fans and pundits on social media were divided over the decision to postpone the game in the wake of the tragedy. Some fans agreed with the decision to postpone the match, while others expressed outrage.
Fox Sports panelist Rachel Nichols expressed support for the postponement in a post on X.
“Glad the Sugar Bowl is postponed. That’s the right decision. Sending love to everyone in New Orleans,” Nichols wrote.
However, one X user responded to Nichols’ disagreement, suggesting the delay would “let the terrorists win.”
“I respectfully disagree. Delaying means the people behind this heartless attack win. Let’s not let them win. We shouldn’t bow down to them no matter how extreme they are,” the user wrote.
Conservative commentator John Ziegler also expressed disagreement with the delay in a post on X.
“This is wrong. Postponing the Sugar Bowl one day will do nothing to bring back those who lost their lives, or make the game safer. In fact, it will give the terrorists exactly what they wanted. We are become as soft as a society in almost every respect,” Ziegler wrote.
“The ‘you can never be too safe’ people seem to be pretending that there are no housing costs for postponing an event of the magnitude of the Sugar Bowl. Tens of thousands of people have traveled to New Orleans without a hotel for tomorrow night, or flight reservations for Friday.”
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Another
“Reasons this isn’t wrong: Allows more time to catch the bad guys who may be looking for another soft target; also allows 24 hours to feel grief and shock. In honor of a bleak day and the lives lost ” wrote the user. , to which Ziegler replied, “Yes, no.”
Meanwhile, WKRG sports journalist Simone Eli slammed those complaining about the match’s postponement, citing reports of other potential explosives in the city.
“People who are upset about the Sugar Bowl being postponed and ‘giving power’ to anyone – may want to check out the reports of bombs being found and detonated in the city of New Orleans. Football can wait. Nothing is worth losing more lives. I’m not going to argue about it,” Eli wrote on X.
The postponement follows reports that the Superdome, home of the New Orleans Saints, was initially locked down for security checks and people with offices in the stadium were told not to come on site until further notice.
Alethea Duncan of the New Orleans FBI noted during a news conference Wednesday that the FBI does not believe the prime suspect in the attack, Shamsud Din Jabbar, was “singlely responsible” for the act. Police have warned that there may be more danger in the city.
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy also called out those who criticized the postponement of the game.
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“Okay, so it’s postponed. And the people who say if you move it 24 hours the terrorist can win are idiots. It’s (one) day. Secure the area. Do what you gotta do. A game 24 hours delaying doesn’t mean they win,” Portnoy wrote on X.
According to an FBI statement, a man driving a Ford pickup truck drove into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street around 3:15 p.m. local time. The suspect, identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, exchanged gunfire with local police before being pronounced dead at the scene.
At least ten people have been killed and another 35 injured as a result of the apparent terror attack.
The Superdome is just a mile from the site of Wednesday morning’s deadly attack.
Georgia and Notre Dame arrived in New Orleans on Sunday and reportedly stayed in hotels just steps away from the crime scene. According to reports, both schools have implemented a “shelter in place” for the teams.
Fox News Digital’s Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
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