New Orleans Saints Rally Around Community After Tragic Attack
METAIRIE, La. — In the wake of a tragic event that has left the New Orleans community reeling, the New Orleans Saints are coming together to offer support and solidarity. Interim coach Darren Rizzi confirmed that all members of the organization are safe following an attack in the French Quarter that resulted in the deaths of 15 people and injuries to dozens more early Wednesday morning.
The incident involved a man driving a rented pickup truck down Bourbon Street, plowing into a crowd before engaging in a shootout with police officers, which ultimately led to his death. This horrific event has not only shaken the local community but also had wider implications, including the postponement of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame. Among those tragically killed was former Princeton football player Tiger Bech.
“Today’s obviously a very somber day in our community,” Rizzi expressed. “I want to send out my personal heartfelt condolences, thoughts, prayers, to all the victims in this senseless shooting and attack early this morning in the French Quarter. It goes without saying this is senseless. It’s hard to understand and it’s really hard to comprehend why these things keep happening in our country.”
In response to the tragedy, the Saints began their Wednesday team meeting with a prayer and a moment of silence for the victims. Rizzi shared, “We talked for about 10 minutes this morning at the beginning of our team meeting, and nothing had to do with football. It all had to do with keeping things in perspective and how blessed and fortunate we all are at the start of a new year. What we do here is obviously important to all the individuals that are here, but there’s much more important things going on around the world and right here in our community and at home.”
The mood in the room was described as “somber,” with veterans urging the team to take leadership during this difficult time. Team captain Demario Davis reflected on the impact of the event, stating, “When something of this magnitude, on this scale happens, there are literally no words that are going to provide any solace for this. Moments like this … humanizes us all and shows us how fast life can change. When you’re a part of this game, you’re always trying to keep things in perspective and it’s always front and center, this game and all that’s going on. It’s moments like this that make you stop and put things in perspective. Many lives were impacted last night, this morning. I think it hit us all with a ton of shock. … It’s just truly tragic, truly horrific.”
Rizzi recounted how he learned of the attack around 6 a.m. Wednesday and immediately reached out to his son to ensure his safety before accounting for all of his players. “When I pulled in this morning into the parking lot, and I got the alert on my phone that it happened, the first thing I was doing was checking where my children were,” Rizzi said. “And there’s some people that woke up this morning and unfortunately lost loved ones that were victims of these attacks. Lost sons, lost daughters, lost brothers, lost sisters.”
The news hit particularly close to home for Rizzi, who lost two former high school teammates in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. He shared, “At the time I was the head coach at the University of New Haven. I had a lot of players from the New York City area. I had players that lost family members, firefighters. One of my coach’s friends lost a brother who was a firefighter. I went to a lot of memorials and funerals. You could see the smoke from the World Trade Center at my home, where I lived. When I tell you that it hits home, it hits home. Any time something like this happens and you hear the phrase ‘terrorism’ or ‘mass killings,’ it immediately sparks some memories and some thoughts. Those are always going to be with you. No matter how long I’m going to be on this earth, that stuff is going to stay with you.”
As the Saints prepare to finish the season Sunday at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu, a New Orleans native, emphasized the importance of playing for the family and community, noting that these motivations will resonate more this week. “I know a lot of people look to us to kind of make their day, make their week a little better. I definitely think it’s part of our responsibility to go out there this week and really represent New Orleans,” Mathieu said.
Rizzi echoed this sentiment, stating that the team will be playing the final game of the season for the community. He remarked, “The community needs us right now, they need support. And everybody’s hurting. We’re playing for the community, for New Orleans, for the state of Louisiana. We’re playing for our fan base. In times like these sometimes, you can uplift people and shed a positive light in any way you can in a moment of disaster. Because that’s what this is, it’s a disaster.”
- Community Support: The Saints are rallying around New Orleans, emphasizing the importance of community and solidarity in the face of tragedy.
- Personal Impact: Coach Rizzi’s personal connection to past tragedies highlights the emotional weight of the current situation.
- Team Motivation: The Saints are motivated to play for their community, aiming to bring some light during a dark time.
Originally Written by: Katherine Terrell
