College football fans have paid tribute to the victims of the deadly terror attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day that left 15 people dead.
Prior to the Allstate Sugar Bowl, which was held at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome, crowd members and players from the University of Georgia and Notre Dame shared a moment of silence for the victims of the attack on Thursday, Jan. 2, according to video shared by ESPN on X (formerly known as Twitter).
In the video, game attendees and police officers could be seen bowing their heads in silence. Photos captured at the event even showed some players kneeling on the turf and bowing their heads during the moment of silence. Afterwards, chants of “U.S.A.” rang out, according to Fox News.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish eventually took the win against the University of Georgia, 23-10, according to the outlet. The team is scheduled to move forward in the College Football Playoffs to play against No. 6 Penn State.
The game was originally scheduled to take place on Wednesday, Jan. 1, but was postponed to the next day due to the attack, which happened in the early hours of the morning.
Authorities said the suspect — identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar — used his truck to barrel down Bourbon Street in the city’s popular French Quarter around 3 a.m local time. The FBI has since described the incident as an act of terrorism.
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Following the incident, the Sugar Bowl’s Chief Executive Officer Jeff Hundley said in a statement, per WDSU-TV, that they were “in ongoing discussions with authorities on the local, state, and federal levels and will communicate further details as they become available.”
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry also told Fox & Friends that security at the game would “be tight” following the attack and said they “have all confidence that we’re gonna put this game on.” He added, “The Superdome is completely secure. Again, the FBI continues to pour resources into the state.”
Attendees claimed on social media that the game was affected by the incident, with the stadium appearing to be “60% full or so” with “scattered patches of empty seats” in the upper levels.
Ahead of the game, both college football teams also shared a statement extending their “prayers” and “condolences” to the families impacted by the attack. Notre Dame wrote on X, “Today, we are in solidarity with all those impacted by this tragedy.”
Meanwhile, University of Georgia’s president Jere W. Morehead noted that one of the university’s students was also “critically injured” in the attack and was “receiving medical treatment.” He then extended his “gratitude to all the first responders” who responded to the tragedy.
“As we continue to hold the victims and their families in our thoughts and prayers, the University will do everything in its power to support those in our community who have been impacted by this unspeakable event,” Morehead said.
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