METAIRIE, La. — New Orleans Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi mentioned all members of the group are secure following an attack in the French Quarter that killed 15 folks and injured dozens extra early Wednesday morning.
A person drove a rented pickup truck down Bourbon Street right into a crowd of individuals, hitting dozens earlier than partaking in a shootout with cops that left him lifeless.
The assault led to the postponement of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal on the Allstate Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame. Former Princeton football player Tiger Bech was amongst these killed.
“Today’s clearly a really somber day in our neighborhood,” Rizzi mentioned. “I wish to ship out my private heartfelt condolences, ideas, prayers, to all of the victims on this mindless capturing and assault early this morning within the French Quarter. It goes with out saying that is mindless. It’s laborious to grasp and it is actually laborious to grasp why this stuff preserve taking place in our nation.”
Rizzi mentioned the Saints spent the start of Wednesday’s staff assembly with a prayer and a second of silence for the victims.
“We talked for about 10 minutes this morning firstly of our staff assembly and nothing needed to do with soccer,” Rizzi mentioned. “It all needed to do with maintaining issues in perspective and the way blessed and lucky all of us are initially of a brand new 12 months. What we do right here is clearly necessary to all of the people which are right here, however there’s far more necessary issues happening around the globe and proper right here in our neighborhood and at residence.”
Rizzi described the temper within the room as “somber” and mentioned veterans urged the staff to take management throughout this time.
“When one thing of this magnitude, on this scale occurs, there are actually no phrases which are going to supply any solace for this. Moments like this … humanizes us all and reveals us how briskly life can change,” staff captain Demario Davis mentioned. “When you are part of this recreation, you are all the time making an attempt to maintain issues in perspective and it is all the time entrance and middle, this recreation and all that is happening. It’s moments like this that make you cease and put issues in perspective. Many lives have been impacted final night time, this morning. I feel it hit us all with a ton of shock. … It’s simply actually tragic, actually horrific.”
Rizzi mentioned he realized of the assault round 6 a.m. Wednesday and instantly referred to as his son to verify he was secure earlier than accounting for all of his gamers.
“When I pulled on this morning into the parking zone, and I bought the alert on my cellphone that it occurred, the very first thing I used to be doing was checking the place my kids have been,” Rizzi mentioned. “And there’s some those that awakened this morning and sadly misplaced family members that have been victims of those assaults. Lost sons, misplaced daughters, misplaced brothers, misplaced sisters.”
Rizzi mentioned the information felt private to him after dropping two former highschool teammates within the Sept. 11 terrorist assaults in 2001. He mentioned a few of his former gamers additionally misplaced family members that day.
“At the time I used to be the pinnacle coach on the University of New Haven. I had a variety of gamers from the New York City space. I had gamers that misplaced members of the family, firefighters. One of my coach’s buddies misplaced a brother who was a firefighter. I went to a variety of memorials and funerals,” Rizzi mentioned. “You may see the smoke from the World Trade Center at my residence, the place I lived. When I let you know that it hits residence, it hits residence. Any time one thing like this occurs and also you hear the phrase ‘terrorism’ or ‘mass killings,’ it instantly sparks some reminiscences and a few ideas. Those are all the time going to be with you. No matter how lengthy I’m going to be on this earth, that stuff goes to stick with you.”
The Saints will end the season Sunday in opposition to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Saints security Tyrann Mathieu, a New Orleans native, mentioned the staff is all the time enjoying for the household and neighborhood however that can most likely resonate extra this week.
“I do know lots of people look to us to type of make their day, make their week slightly higher. I undoubtedly suppose it is a part of our duty to go on the market this week and actually characterize New Orleans,” Mathieu mentioned.
That message was echoed by Rizzi, who mentioned he feels just like the staff will probably be enjoying the ultimate recreation of the season for the neighborhood. He mentioned he did not know if “there was a extra motivating issue” than enjoying to uplift the spirits of these going by way of powerful occasions.
“The neighborhood wants us proper now, they want help. And all people’s hurting,” Rizzi mentioned. “We’re enjoying for the neighborhood, for New Orleans, for the state of Louisiana. We’re enjoying for our fan base. In occasions like these typically, you’ll be able to uplift folks and shed a constructive gentle in any manner you’ll be able to in a second of catastrophe. Because that is what that is, it is a catastrophe.”
