Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has revealed his team held an emotional locker room meeting after the Sugar Bowl was delayed due to the New Orleans terror attacks.
Freeman’s team were scheduled to play Georgia Bulldogs on New Year’s Day but the game was moved to Jan. 2 after the terror attack in the city killed 15.
‘I think first off, I’d like to say we’re hurting for all those affected by this tragedy,’ Freeman said in an interview with ESPN.
‘The city of New Orleans has welcomed us with open arms and we join them in prayers for all those victims and families that are affected by this tragedy.
‘I had gotten a phone call that some sort of tragedy had happened. We were preparing in the morning to play a game in the evening and when we got the news, we learned of the severity of the tragedy and we had to get back together.
‘A lot of people started to hear that the game would be postponed. What I told the team was that in the toughest moments, the culture of any program, a nation, is revealed.
Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman revealed how his team have handled the Sugar Bowl delay
A terror attack in New Orleans in the early hours of New Year’s Day has killed 15 people
‘I have a lot of faith this country will rally around New Orleans and support all the victims of families.’
‘The first part of that team meeting was to mourn and to pray for our country. 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 to continue to prepare.
‘I told them we are not going to wait. We have to have a plan to utilize the time to physically and mentally prepare.
‘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. But we also have to be prepared for this great opportunity in the Sugar Bowl.’
Freeman said that as of Wednesday night, he had not spoken to Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart about the game being rescheduled.
‘I have a lot of respect for him, I know that he understands how important his country is and how minute the game of football is compared to real lives and our nation,’ he said.
The game is now set to go ahead at 4pm local time with heightened security around the Superdome in New Orleans.
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