New Year’s Day has brought about a terrible tragedy down in NOLA. A vehicle ran over a celebratory crowd of people on Bourbon Street. 10 fatalities have been reported, with a further 35 injured. It appears that this wasn’t an accident either. It’s being labelled an “act of terror”. This rendered the Sugar Bowl, which is due to be played in the city tonight, in jeopardy. The fate of whether the game proceeds as normal has now been sealed.

As reported by New Orleans-based WDSU, the Sugar Bowl CFP quarterfinal between Georgia and Notre Dame has been postponed in light of these abhorrent events. The full details pertaining to the new schedule are inconspicuous right now. They’re not of utmost importance at this juncture anyway. Owing to the tragedy, Kirby Smart and his Bulldogs took some self-imposed safety measures before the postponement was officialised.

The team is in a lockdown at their hotel, according to intel from Steve Drummond, the spokesperson for UGA’s athletic department. ESPN’s on-ground reporter Laura Rutledge relayed this, saying, “Currently at the team hotel, Georgia has a shelter in place. So they are locked down at the hotel. Nobody is leaving that area, and they’re going to continue to do that as they gather more information.” With the initial event now being escalated to the FBI, the Sugar Bowl remains in jeopardy. Reports suggesting that it’ll be played tomorrow are still in their infancy. However, the district attorney has said it’ll be played tomorrow.

Security has been reinforced across the city, which is a proponent of why the Sugar Bowl is likely to go ahead tomorrow. “There is an extreme police presence here. They’ve added a lot more when it comes to police presence around New Orleans, doing everything they can to keep everybody safe,” said Rutledge. She proceeded to speak about the safety around the Caesars Superdome in the lead-up. As well as how it has evolved following last night’s events. 

“They also swept the stadium with dogs detecting explosives two days ago. They determined the stadium was safe at that point, then locked it down. They’re doing that again right now as we speak. So currently, you can’t get inside the Superdome, as they do everything possible to secure it” Her colleague Pete Thamel has also leveraged intel on affairs and relayed the scope of the FBI’s involvement in this travesty.

Pete Thamel provides more detail about the postponement of the Sugar Bowl

“As of right now, people with offices in the building there, at the [Caesar’s] Superdome, have been told not to go into work today,” said Pete Thamel. This lines up with Rutledge’s own reporting about the stadium being under lockdown. “I think it’s important, as we look at the aftermath of that tragedy, to note the FBI is investigating it as an act of terror. There were devices found, and the FBI said this morning they’re sweeping the French Quarter to see if there’s any more devices.” 

The suspect, 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was killed at the scene of the crime. He was reportedly a U.S. Army veteran, which adds a terrible layer to this already gruesome act. The FBI has stated he was not acting solely in this incident.

It goes without saying that this awful revelation is bigger than the Sugar Bowl. The safety of civilians, as well as the athletes in question, is paramount. What’s also true is that sports can bring people together in moments of adversity. Kirby Smart and his team will hope to alleviate some sorrow in the city of New Orleans tomorrow.