The 2025 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans was postponed just hours before kickoff Wednesday after at least 10 people were killed and dozens more injured in what federal officials are investigating as an act of terrorism.
Allstate Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley spoke at a news conference with local and federal officials Wednesday afternoon to confirm that the College Football Playoff quarterfinal game between Georgia and Notre Dame will be postponed for 24 hours .
The postponement follows reports that the Superdome, the home of the New Orleans Saints, was initially closed for security checks and that people with offices inside the stadium were told not to enter the venue until further notice.
That directive included officials from the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Belt Conference, a source told The Associated Press.
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 local time. The suspect, identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, exchanged gunfire with local authorities before being pronounced dead at the scene.
At least 10 people were killed and 35 more were injured as a result of the apparent terrorist attack.
The FBI is also 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.
The tragedy in New Orleans comes as thousands of fans traveled to the historic city ahead of Wednesday night’s Sugar Bowl.
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 have reportedly implemented a “shelter in place” for teams.
