Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman struggled to contain his emotions as he celebrated victory over Georgia with a tribute to the victims of the New Orleans terror attack.
The Fighting Irish reached the College Football Playoff semifinals with a 23-10 win at Caesars Superdome – not far from where 14 people were killed on New Year’s Eve.
‘As we celebrate this great moment, I want to send our condolences out to all those affected in the city of New Orleans,’ Freeman said after a stirring night.
Freeman also thanked those Notre Dame supporters who travelled to Louisiana for the game, which was delayed following the tragedy.
The coach’s comments were echoed by quarterback Riley Leonard, who told ESPN: ‘It’s been a very hard week and our thoughts and prayers go out to all the families affected a couple of days ago. We are praying for them.’
The game was pushed back after the devastating attack, which saw Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, drive a truck into a large crowd out celebrating the New Year.
The shocking tragedy claimed the lives of 14 and left 35 injured, before Jabbar was killed by police in a shootout.
Before the game, both sets of players, coaches, staff and fans – plus emotional New Orleans mayor Latoya Cantrell – stopped for a rendition of the Star Spangled Banner as well as a moment of silence.
At the end of the national anthem, passionate chants of ‘U-S-A’ reverberated around Caesars Superdome.
A SWAT team, as well as bomb-sniffing dogs and their handlers, were out in force on Thursday around the Superdome, where hundreds more police officers lined the surrounding streets.
Police dogs were seen sniffing vehicles entering the stadium and the personal belongings of anyone headed to their seats.
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