Sugar Bowl postponed to Thursday after deadly attack in New Orleans: NPR

Sugar Bowl postponed to Thursday after deadly attack in New Orleans: NPR

An aerial view of Caesars Superdome on December 15 in New Orleans.

According to Wednesday night’s Sugar Bowl, the new kickoff time at Caesars Superdome is 3:00 p.m. CT on Thursday.

Tyler Kaufman/AP


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Tyler Kaufman/AP

The Sugar Bowl, scheduled to take place Wednesday night in New Orleans, has been postponed following a deadly attack during New Year’s celebrations, according to local officials.

The new kickoff time is Wednesday night at 3:00 p.m. CT on Thursday, according to the Sugar Bowl.

“As law enforcement resources normally allocated to an event of this magnitude are currently engaged in active investigations related to the incident, the postponement will allow additional security resources to be deployed to maintain the standards typical of a major event” at the Caesars Superdome “The Sugar Bowl said in a statement.

Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley also said in a statement: “Public safety is paramount and everyone involved agrees that this can only be achieved with a postponement.”

“Now we will address the details to make the Sugar Bowl the first-class, entertaining and safe event it has been for over 90 years,” Hundley said.

Before the postponement, the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Georgia Bulldogs was originally scheduled to take place at the Caesars Superdome under increased security measures and “heightened vigilance,” New Orleans City Council President Helena Moreno said on WWL-TV earlier Wednesday.

According to the FBI, 15 people were killed and dozens more injured Wednesday evening after a driver of a pickup truck, identified by the FBI as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, drove into a crowd on Bourbon Street early Wednesday morning, according to authorities about New Year celebrations. The FBI says it is investigating the attack as an “act of terrorism” and that the suspect is dead.

Officials from both colleges have expressed their concern and prayers for the victims of the attack.

The University of Georgia will “do everything in our power to support those in our community affected by this unspeakable event,” said university President Jere W. Morehead said in a statement. Morehead said the university is also supporting one of its students who was critically injured in the attack.

The Rev. Robert A. Dowd, president of the University of Notre Dame, said in a statement Wednesday: “We stand in solidarity with everyone affected by this tragedy.”

The Sugar Bowl has been played in New Orleans every year since 1935, making it one of the oldest college football bowl games. Although it is most commonly played on New Year’s Day, this would be the 16th edition of the game, taking place on January 2nd. The Superdome, which will also host Super Bowl LIX in February, can accommodate more than 70,000 people for a day-long football game.

The 90th anniversary of the competition will be broadcast on ESPN. The winner advances to a Jan. 9 semifinal game against Penn State in the Capitol One Orange Bowl.

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