Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame postponed after deadly truck attack
The College Football Playoff Sugar Bowl quarterfinal between Georgia and Notre Dame has been postponed after a truck plowed into a New Year’s crowd early Wednesday about a mile away, killing at least 10 people.
The game, originally scheduled for Wednesday night in the 70,000-seat Superdome, has been postponed 24 hours to Thursday night.
“For now, that’s the plan,” said Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley.
The Superdome was placed on lockdown Wednesday morning for security checks, when people with offices in the Superdome — including Sugar Bowl and Sun Belt Conference officials — were told not to come into work until further notice.
Some licensed Superdome employees were allowed into their offices Wednesday afternoon.
The victims occurred when a driver rammed a pickup truck into a crowd of partygoers in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter early on New Year’s Day. The driver was killed during a shootout with police after the attack at about 3:15 a.m. along Bourbon Street near Canal Street, the FBI said.
The Georgia and Notre Dame football teams arrived in New Orleans on Sunday and stayed in downtown hotels just a few blocks from where the violence occurred.
A statement from the University of Georgia Athletic Association said “all team personnel and members of the official team traveling party have been accounted for.”
New Orleans City Council President Helena Moreno told WDSU-TV: “What you’ll see today for the Sugar Bowl, which goes ahead, is that the security perimeter around the Superdome has been expanded to a larger zone.”
“So, of course, expect extra security. More and more police officers are coming.”
The Superdome, about 20 blocks away, will also host the Super Bowl on February 9.
The first Super Bowl after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, was also held in New Orleans, and there was a huge security perimeter for that game, including street closures around the Superdome and officers – including snipers – at the tops of surrounding high-rises. buildings, but also on the roof of the dome itself.
“We are deeply saddened by the news of the devastating incident in New Orleans,” the NFL said in a statement. “The NFL and the local host committee have worked with local, state and federal agencies over the past two years and have developed comprehensive safety plans.
“These planning sessions will continue as they do with all major NFL events,” the statement continued. “We are confident that participants will have a safe and enjoyable Super Bowl experience.”