The Sugar Bowl, a college football tradition for 90 years, has been postponed for one day following the horrific attack on a crowd in New Orleans on New Year’s Day that left at least 10 people dead and more than 30 wounded.
As law enforcement officials tried to sort out the chaotic scene that unfolded on Bourbon Street, organizers of the Allstate Sugar Bowl confirmed during a news conference today confirmed that the game between Notre Dame and University of Georgia that was scheduled to be played this evening will be postponed until Thursday in light of the tragedy. ESPN had been set to carry the game from New Orleans’ Superdome starting at 8:45 p.m. ET.
The Sugar Bowl is part of the college football playoff series. It’s one of the more highly anticipated of the New Year’s period bowl games given the strength of both teams. Notre Dame is ranked No. 3 among teams in the country while Georgia is No. 2.
ESPN had no immediate comment on the postponement.
The attack began to unfold around 3:15 a.m. local time when a man appeared to intentionally ram a pickup truck into a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street, one of the most popular tourist spots in the Crescent City’s famed French Quarter. The suspect, identified by law enforcement as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Texas, was shot dead by police during the incident.
The FBI is investigating the attack as a terrorist act. The Associated Press reported that the FBI believes that the driver did not act alone. An Islamic State group flag was found on the vehicle’s trailer hitch, the FBI said, according to the AP.
