NEW ORLEANS — No one knew what to do in the fog of uncertainty and fear, so they sought normalcy.
The jovial party city of New Orleans was upended early on New Year’s Day when a man intentionally rammed a pickup truck through a crowd on Bourbon Street, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more shortly after 3 a.m. The terrorist attack sent shockwaves through the city and more than 400 police officers descended on the streets, setting up barricades and foot patrols as the sun rose and kissed the Crescent City’s streets, illuminating a grisly scene.
Two blocks northwest from the carnage, a straight-line, 4-minute walk out the front door of the Marriott Hotel on Canal Street, Georgia football fans congregated at the Bulldogs’ team hotel. The scheduled College Football Playoff quarterfinal game between the 2-seed Bulldogs and 7-seed Notre Dame had not yet been postponed as law enforcement, including the FBI, swept the city while searching for improvised explosives and chasing clues in an attempt to identify multiple suspects after discovering two makeshift explosive devices inside the killer’s vehicle earlier that morning.
The suspected killer, Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, traded gunfire with three New Orleans police officers after barreling through the crowd and exiting the vehicle. He was killed by the officers, though two were injured in the firefight. Officials said the wounded officers were transported to a hospital and are expected to recover.
“This is not just an act of terrorism. This is evil,” New Orleans Police superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said.
Former Princeton football player Tiger Bech was identified among those who died in the vehicular attack, and a University of Georgia student was among those critically injured. Notre Dame and Georgia confirmed parties with their football programs were safe and accounted for Wednesday.
Ten hours after the attack, an impromptu gathering at the hotel bar resembled an indoor tailgate you might stumble upon during a random Saturday on a college campus. A CFP quarterfinal game between Arizona State and Texas in the Peach Bowl had captured the attention of at least 75 fans as multiple screens in the restaurant lobby streamed the drama of the tied game in overtime. They cheered when Texas kicker Bert Auburn missed two field goals, and they jeered when the Longhorns ultimately defeated the Sun Devils in double overtime.
One of the dozen TV screens did not show the game; instead, it was tuned to a cable news network broadcasting the latest developments from the terrorist attack that had occurred just hours earlier down the street.
No one paid much attention.
“I told my son the more I listen to the news and the more information that comes out, the more anxiety I get about it,” Georgia fan Randy Daniel, 62, said as he watched Texas defeat Arizona State in the hotel. “I was like gung-ho, let’s go, have the game, and then I was like, let’s just go home. That’s kinda how I feel right now.”
Daniel said he was awakened by police sirens near Bourbon Street at 3:30 a.m. CT, but he went back to sleep and didn’t learn about the attack until later that morning.
On Wednesday afternoon, some Georgia and Notre Dame fans left New Orleans after the Sugar Bowl — originally scheduled for Wednesday at 7:45 p.m. CT — was officially postponed until Thursday at 3 p.m. CT. Dozens of red-clad fans stood in line at the hotel to change reservations, either canceling or extending their stay.
Earlier in the day, Louisiana governor Jeff Landry attempted to squash safety questions and assured fans of a safe environment at the Caesars Superdome, where 70,000 fans are expected Thursday.
“For the citizens out there that were thinking, ‘Oh man, do I really want to go to the Sugar Bowl tomorrow?’ I’ll tell you one thing, your governor’s going to be there,” Landry said. “That is proof, believe you me, that that facility and this city is safer today than it was yesterday.”
The city streets were lined with police Wednesday. The foot traffic on sidewalks in the French Quarter and Canal Street was thick but not as busy as a typical New Year’s Day in New Orleans. Restaurants remained open and college football fans sat outside dining in the afternoon, including at hot spots like Cafe Beignet, which is stationed within sightline of where the terrorist swerved onto a sidewalk on the corner of Canal and Bourbon streets to avoid a police barricade and carry out his pre-planned attack.
Police presence and security at the Sugar Bowl will assuredly increase Thursday night.
“Work is fast to set up a safe and efficient and fun environment,” Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley said.
The governor issued a state of emergency order Wednesday to allow for the “utilization of all available state resources ahead of the Sugar Bowl, Super Bowl LIX and Mardi Gras.” The city’s busiest months will only grow busier with major events in the city. Landry said the state of emergency will “ensure that every single person, place and street across the city of New Orleans is the most safe and secure in the world.”
“We’re going to go to the game, but hopefully they’re doing what they need to get done,” said Georgia fan Kevin Holder as his son sought autographs from Georgia players congregating at the Marriott late Wednesday. “We’re gonna hang around town and eat some gumbo, I guess.”
Notre Dame’s football team stayed nearby in the French Quarter at a hotel as well but did not leave the facility for practice or other events Wednesday, a school spokesperson told CBS Sports. The team conducted a meeting at 3 p.m. and then split into separate meetings for the offense, defense and special teams. They conducted a “team run” inside the spacious hotel as well.
By 5 p.m. Wednesday, Georgia’s football staff secured space for a walkthrough practice at the Superdome, sources told CBS Sports. Georgia coach Kirby Smart emerged from the team hotel and rushed over to an SUV with a police escort at 5:10 p.m. Players and staff trickled out of the hotel and onto team buses for the next half hour as more than 50 Georgia fans cheered from behind police barricades on the sidewalk, some spilling onto Canal Street.
Georgia departed the hotel and headed for the Superdome at 5:52 p.m., the sun setting on a tragic New Year’s Day.
Their fans found normalcy within their community, congregating around the sport, drinking and eating — cheering and booing — indoors. They did exactly what they planned to do before the attack Wednesday: watch football and cheer their Bulldogs.
At the end of the day, the players had their routine, too — on the practice field.
