President Joe Biden made a virtual appearance on Thursday at the Sugar Bowl, addressing the deadly attack in New Orleans that occurred the day prior.
“Today, all of America stands with the people of New Orleans,” Biden said in a taped recording ahead of the start of the college football game, which took place at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome. “We pray for those killed and injured in yesterday’s attack, and we’re grateful to the brave first responders who raced to save lives.”
“I’m glad the game is back on for today, but I’m not surprised because the spirit of New Orleans can never be kept down. That’s also true of the spirit of America. We just have to remember who we are. We’re the United States of America,” Biden added.
Following the president’s remarks, ESPN’s Sean McDonough addressed the attack as well, saying, “After what’s been a very emotional and difficult 36 hours here in New Orleans, the focus shifts to football, and it should be a very entertaining and exciting game here today,” according to Deadline.
The College Football Playoff quarterfinal game featured a moment of silence honoring the victims. There was also a heavy police presence at the stadium in response to the attack.
The Sugar Bowl, in which the Georgia Bulldogs competed against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, was postponed for around 20 hours after an individual propelled their truck onto Bourbon Street, killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens of others during the early hours of New Year’s Day.
The FBI has called the incident an “act of terrorism” and said that the driver, 42-year-old Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar, wanted to show support for ISIS. Prior to the attack, Jabbar claimed in a video posted to Facebook that he had joined ISIS, according to the FBI. An ISIS flag was also found hanging off the truck he was driving. However, the agency said that Jabbar acted alone. He was killed on the scene by police after exchanging gunfire.
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In a statement after the attack, the Sugar Bowl Committee said it was “devastated by the terrible events” and offered condolences to the loved ones of the victims.
Bourbon Street was reopened hours ahead of the CFP quarterfinal game.