The Sugar Bowl was postponed after an act of terror took the lives of 10 people and injured more than 30 early Wednesday morning. The game, which was initially scheduled to kick off Wednesday at 8:45 p.m. ET, will now take place at the same time on Thursday night.
The NFL, which will host this year’s Super Bowl in New Orleans on Feb. 9, issued a statement shortly after the Sugar Bowl was postponed.
We are deeply saddened by the news of the devastating incident in New Orleans. Our thoughts are with the victims, the New Orleans community and all those affected.
The NFL and the local host committee have been working collaboratively with local, state and federal agencies the past two years and have developed comprehensive security plans. These planning sessions will continue as they do with all major NFL events and we are confident attendees will have a safe and enjoyable Super Bowl experience.
Louisiana governor Jeff Landry also exuded confidence in regard to providing safety when big events come to New Orleans.
“Every facility in this city will be safer today than it was yesterday,” he said. “As we come to additional events in this city … this city will have the resources necessary to protect our citizens and our guests.”
Prior to postponing the Sugar Bowl, the Superdome had been undergoing security sweeps. While the game was initially going to take place as scheduled, the powers at be ultimately decided that it would be postponed for 24 hours.
Most people awoke Wednesday morning to the troubling news of what had transpired overnight in New Orleans. At 3:15 a.m. CT, a truck attack took place in the French Quarter, which is about a mile away from the Superdome. The driver of the truck was killed during a firefight with police.
The FBI is considering the incident as an act of terror.
“He was hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did,” said New Orleans police commissioner Anne Kirkpatrick. “It was very intentional behavior. This man was trying to run over as many people as he could.”
New Orleans is slated to tie Miami as the two cities that have hosted the most Super Bowl. This year will mark the 11th time that New Orleans has hosted the Super Bowl, with the most recent occurance taking place back in 2013.
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