2025 Sugar Bowl Postponed for 24 Hours Following Pickup Truck Terror Attack in New Orleans
By Space Coast Daily // January 1, 2025
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – The highly anticipated Sugar Bowl, featuring Georgia and Notre Dame, has been postponed by 24 hours after a deadly terror attack in New Orleans left at least 10 dead and 35 injured on Wednesday morning.
Authorities confirmed the incident, which occurred on Bourbon Street, is being investigated as an act of terrorism. The suspect, 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, drove a Ford pickup truck into a crowd before exchanging gunfire with law enforcement. Jabbar was pronounced dead at the scene. Officials later discovered weapons, a potential improvised explosive device (IED), and an ISIS flag in the suspect’s vehicle. Additional IEDs were reportedly located in the French Quarter.
FBI officials are working to determine any affiliations Jabbar may have had with terrorist organizations.
The Allstate Sugar Bowl, part of the College Football Playoff, was set to take place at the Superdome, just one mile from the attack. Jeff Hundley, CEO of the Sugar Bowl, addressed the media alongside local and federal officials, expressing the committee’s condolences to the victims and their families.
“We wish we weren’t here for this reason today,” Hundley said. “The Sugar Bowl committee has a 90-year history of being a good corporate citizen for the city of New Orleans, and that’s why this tragedy hurts us as much as anybody right now.”
The game, originally scheduled for Wednesday evening, will now be played on Thursday. Hundley emphasized the decision was made to prioritize public safety.
The attack has cast a shadow over what was meant to be a celebratory week for football fans. Both Georgia and Notre Dame’s teams, who arrived in New Orleans on Sunday, remain under shelter-in-place orders at hotels near the crime scene.
Notre Dame issued a statement calling for fans to “join us in prayer” for the victims of the tragedy.
As the city of New Orleans grapples with the aftermath of this devastating attack, fans and officials alike remain united in their commitment to honoring the victims and ensuring the safety of all those involved in the Sugar Bowl.
