Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill weighed in on the postponement of the Sugar Bowl game after a deadly attack in New Orleans on Wednesday.
Murrill told NBC News he believes the game should be postponed until Friday. So far, the game has been delayed just one day, to Thursday afternoon.
“It’s not my decision, but I would like it to be delayed at least one more day. If you asked me my opinion, I would tell you,” Murrill said. “I think it was wise to delay it at least a day. This is an active crime scene, and they just finished removing some of the bodies, and they haven’t removed all of them yet. I still think we have to wait an extra day.”
Murrill added that he believes the community is “safe,” regardless. The number of victims killed in the Bourbon Street attack has risen to 15, Pak Gazette has learned.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
An aerial general view of the exterior of the Caesars Superdome, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman)
Currently, the game will be played less than 24 hours after its initial start time, despite the attack. The State of Allstate Sugar bowl The organization announced that the game will begin at 3 pm local time (4 pm ET) on Thursday. The game was initially scheduled to begin at 8:45 p.m. ET on Wednesday night, and previous reports indicated the game would be postponed by 24 hours.
The Superdome is located just a mile away from the site of Wednesday morning’s deadly attack. Georgia and Notre Dame arrived in New Orleans on Sunday and were reportedly staying in hotels a few blocks from the crime scene. Both schools reportedly implemented a “shelter in place” order for their teams.
According to a statement from the FBI, a man driving a Ford pickup truck plowed into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street around 3:15 a.m. local time. The suspect, identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, exchanged gunfire with local authorities before being pronounced dead at the scene.
The FBI is currently working to determine “the subject’s possible associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations,” after an ISIS flag was found on the truck. Weapons and a possible improvised explosive device were located inside the suspect’s vehicle, and other possible improvised explosive devices were also located in the French Quarter.
Alethea Duncan of the New Orleans FBI said during a news conference Wednesday that the FBI does not believe Din Jabbar was “solely responsible” for the act.
NOTRE DAME CALLS ON FANS TO ‘JOIN US IN PRAYER’ AFTER APPARENT TERRORIST ATTACK IN FRONT OF SUGAR BOWL
The decision to postpone the match just one day after the attack sparked mixed responses from fans and experts on social media.
Conservative commentator John Ziegler also expressed his disagreement with the postponement 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] gives the terrorists exactly what they wanted. “We have become SO soft as a society in almost every way,” Ziegler wrote.
“People who say ‘you can never be too safe’ seem to pretend that there are no residential costs for postponing an event 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.”
Meanwhile, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy disagreed with those criticizing the game’s postponement, insinuating that those people are “idiots.”
“Okay, then it’s postponed. And the people who say that moving it 24 hours allows the terrorist to win are idiots. It’s [one] day. Secure the area. Do what you have to do. Delaying a game for 24 hours doesn’t allow them to win,” Portnoy wrote in X.
Police and EMS vehicles respond to a reported mass casualty incident on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on January 1, 2025. (WVUE)
Allstate Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley issued a statement sending thoughts and prayers to all victims of the attack, while thanking those who adjusted to the new start time.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families as we work through this,” said Jeff Hundley, CEO of Allstate Sugar Bowl. “We have full faith and trust in the governor, the mayor and all federal, state and local first responders who have responded to this horrific event. Any time we have an event like the Sugar Bowl, public safety is paramount, and all parties “We agree that that could only be achieved with a postponement. We will now move forward to take care of the details to make the Sugar Bowl the first-class, fun and safe event it has been for more than 90 years.”
“On behalf of the College Football Playoff, we are devastated by this morning’s attack and our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of those affected by this tragedy,” said Rich Clark, executive director of the College Football Playoff. “We are grateful to the leadership of the Sugar Bowl, New Orleans, the state of Louisiana and federal authorities as we work together to ensure we can provide a safe environment for everyone. We also appreciate ESPN’s flexibility in moving the game to tomorrow afternoon. “
