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Marcus Freeman recalls learning of New Orleans terrorism attack, how Notre Dame players responded

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz01/01/25

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Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman
© Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository / USA TODAY NETWORK

Wednesday morning, Marcus Freeman was getting ready to meet with his Notre Dame players ahead of the biggest game of his young head coaching career. Georgia was waiting in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl later in the day, meaning Freeman and the staff had to make their final preparations.

Then, his phone rang. The voice on the other end told him what many around the country would quickly learn about what happened overnight in New Orleans.

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When Freeman met with the players, he didn’t know the details of what happened. But reports came out – and officials later confirmed – a suspect deliberately drove a pickup truck down Bourbon Street shortly after 3 a.m. local time and later opened fire on law enforcement. At least 15 people are dead, with more injured, and officials found explosives at the scene, as well as an ISIS flag in the vehicle.

Suddenly, the day took a 180-degree turn. For Freeman, it meant he had to meet with his players again to deal with what happened.

“We were preparing this morning to play a game this evening,” Freeman told Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter with SVP Wednesday night. “Then, after our break, when we got the news and we learned of the severity of the tragedies that happened, we had to get back together as a team.”

Questions rose about whether there’d even be a Sugar Bowl on Wednesday. Law enforcement had a heavy presence around the French Quarter – the scene of the attack – and the Caesars Superdome went on lockdown. Both Notre Dame and Georgia’s hotels had shelter-in-place orders, as well.

Ultimately, officials announced a new kickoff time of 4 p.m. ET on Thursday. There will also be another layer of security at the Superdome, according to ESPN’s Laura Rutledge, after law enforcement swept the building for explosives. Officials ultimately said the premises was clear.

Marcus Freeman: ‘We had to get together’

Marcus Freeman’s message to his team was similar to what he’d say when adversity hits on the football field. Only this time, he was talking about the team both Fighting Irish and Bulldogs fans cheer for: their home country.

“I think a lot of people started to hear that the game would be postponed, but we had to get together and discuss what had happened,” Freeman said. “What I told the team is in the toughest moment, the culture of any program, of a nation is revealed. I have a lot of faith that this country will rally around New Orleans and support all the victims and families who are affected today.”

When it came to the weight of the day, though, Freeman knew he had to find a balance. On one hand, the players in the room were all trying to deal with everything that happened in the city which they were staying. On the other, they also have a collective goal of making a run to the national championship.

That’s why Freeman started the conversation with a moment of prayer and mourning. Then, he started to shift the message toward the task at hand as the schedule changed and, finally, a new game time became official.

“The first part of that team meeting was to mourn and to pray for our country and those that are affected,” Freeman said. “But as we ended that meeting, we had to redirect our focus towards preparing for this game, and we had to utilize this time that we have today and tomorrow morning to continue to prepare for this opportunity.

“What I told them is, I don’t want to wait. We’re not gonna just wait until we get to play this game tomorrow. But we have to have a plan, and we came up with a great plan to utilize this time that we have this evening to physically and mentally prepare. And then, we came up with a plan for tomorrow morning as we get ready for a 3:00 Central Time Sugar Bowl. That was the reality of that meeting and what we had to do and where our focus has to be as a program.”

Through such an emotional day, Freeman is making sure his players have ways to talk about the events on Bourbon Street. But as important as the Sugar Bowl was entering the week, it’s likely even bigger as the city of New Orleans deals with the senseless acts of violence – and he wants the Irish to remember that.

“We will mourn and pray for our country, and we have support systems around here for anybody that needs someone to talk to or have support,” Freeman said. “But we also have to be prepared for this great opportunity that we have tomorrow in the Sugar Bowl.”