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Georgia football team sheltering-in-place amid 'act of terrorism' on Bourbon Street before Sugar Bowl

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•01/01/25•

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12/30/23 - Georgia vs. Florida State (90th Capital One Orange Bowl)
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart before Georgia’s game against Florida State in the 90th Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023. (Tony Walsh/UGAAA)

The status of Saturday’s Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame is currently in danger. Events described as “acts of terrorism” has taken place in the city of New Orleans, putting the College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup on the back burner. For now, focus is on the safety of the two teams and people in the area.

ESPN’s Laura Rutledge provided an update on what the Georgia team is doing around 1 p.m. ET in New Orleans. She revealed the Bulldogs are currently sheltering-in-place inside the team hotel. Police presence around the hotel has increased too, attempting to protect both teams ahead of the game.

“I spoke with the spokesperson for Georgia’s athletic department, Steven Drummond,” Rutledge said on ESPN College GameDay. “He said currently at the team hotel, Georgia has a shelter-in-place, so they are locked down at the hotel, nobody leaving that area. And they’re going to continue to do that as they gather more information.

“Right now, the College Football Playoff, as well as the Sugar Bowl officials, are meeting. They’re meeting with FBI. They are meeting with police here in New Orleans, trying to figure out exactly what’s going to be safest moving forward. And I can tell you, there is an extreme police presence here. They’ve added a lot more when it comes to police presence around New Orleans, doing everything they can to keep everybody safe.”

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The Superdome is scheduled to host the contest, with multiple options on the table. Kickoff is currently scheduled for 8:45 p.m. ET with a spot in the CFP semifinals on the line. After Penn State taking down Boise State on New Year’s Eve, the Nittany Lions are waiting for their opponent.

Standard protocol before these types of games is to make sure the area is secure, even if there has not been an “act of terrorism” in the past few hours. Rutledge says authorities are going through the process once again to determine if the Sugar Bowl can be played.

“They also swept the stadium with dogs detecting explosives two days ago,” Rutledge said. “They determined the stadium safe at that point, then locked it down. They’re doing that again right now as we speak. So, currently, you can’t get inside the Superdome as they do everything possible to secure it for what we hope will be a game tonight.”