NEW ORLEANS — Officials have postponed the 2025 Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame in wake of the deadly attack on Bourbon Street.
District Attorney of Orleans Parish Jason Williams first told ABC News that the game will be played on Thursday instead of Wednesday night.
The game is currently scheduled to kickoff at 4 p.m. on Thursday, sources confirmed to Channel 2 Sports Director Zach Klein.
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Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley later confirmed at a news conference that all parties agreed that it was “in the best interest of everyone that we postpone the game for 24 hours.”
Sugar Bowl says they have been in contact with ESPN/UGA/Notre Dame and local authorities and game will be postponed for 24-hours... 7:45 pm CT kickoff Thursday night
— Zach Klein (@ZachKleinWSB) January 1, 2025
This is a breaking news story. Channel 2 sports director Zach Klein is in New Orleans, for a live report on Channel 2 Action News at 4:00 p.m.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey released a statement saying the decision to postpone the Sugar Bowl was made for the public’s safety.
Statement from @SEC Commissioner @GregSankey on @SugarBowlNola: pic.twitter.com/hWl8qUt9Qv
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) January 1, 2025
The Federal Bureau of Investigation says a man intentionally crashed into a crowd on Bourbon Street around 3:15 a.m. local time Wednesday.
At least 15 people are dead and another 35 have been injured. The University of Georgia confirmed that one student was critically injured.
The University of Georgia Athletic Association says all team members who traveled to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl have been accounted for. The UGA Red Coat Marching Band says all of their members have also been accounted for.
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University of Georgia President Jere Morehead said a student was critically injured in the attack and is receiving medical treatment.
Police have not identified any of the victims who were killed or injured. The FBI has identified the suspect as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who is a U.S. citizen from Texas.
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The FBI said other potential explosive devices were also located in the French Quarter. According to the intelligence bulletin, surveillance footage captured three men and a woman placing one of multiple improvised explosive devices.
“This is not just an act of terrorism. This is evil,” New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said. The driver “defeated” safety measures that were in place to protect pedestrians, she said, and was “hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did.”
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