ATLANTA — It was supposed to be a New Year’s Day celebration full of fun and football, but for many UGA fans, the last 24 hours have been filled with fear and uncertainty following the terror attack in New Orleans.
On Thursday, Channel 2′s Michael Seiden spoke with Dawgs’ fans who traveled to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl.
Dunwoody resident Sam Levy said he and his wife, Andrea, and several close friends, made the trip to ring in 2025 and cheer on UGA.
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“Bourbon Street was happening. It was fun. It was lively,” said Levy, who spoke with Channel 2 Action News via Zoom from his hotel room in New Orleans.
Levy said he and his friend partied on Bourbon Street but decided to call it a night around 1:00 a.m.
“We woke up and saw a bunch of texts from everyone, ‘Are you okay? Are you okay?’” he added. “We started debating what we were going to do, how safe we were, what was going on. We were glued to the news.”
Levy said everyone was really shaken by what happened.
“What’s really hit home was some of the news about some of the devices that were around Bourbon Street that possibly could’ve been detonated while we were there,” he said. “Being with your close friends really kind of helped cope for what we were dealing with.”
Despite the tragic circumstances surrounding the Sugar Bowl, Levy said they made the difficult decision to stay.
“We’re not going to let the terrorist win,” he said. “We’re going to go to the football game. We’re going to cheer for our Georgia Bulldogs, but we’re going to do it with a heavy heart and definitely keep in mind all of those who are impacted by this tragedy.”
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Seiden also spoke with Bulldogs’ fans who decided to cut their trip short.
Brad Wilson and his wife, Elizabeth, traveled to New Orleans to celebrate their first anniversary and root on UGA, but as soon as they learned about the terror attack, they decided it was time to come home.
“We paid a few hundred dollars for these tickets and we don’t get to go,” he said. “Fifteen people [including the suspect] just lost people. When you put it into perspective like that, then it really doesn’t matter.”
Wilson says he and his wife became concerned for their own safety after initial reports indicated that the suspect did not act alone.
“Twenty-four hours ago, the reports were four other people had been on video placing, and that’s since been disproven, but my wife was like, ‘I don’t feel safe here.’”
Wilson said that he reached out to the Sugar Bowl and a representative confirmed that he would receive a refund for his tickets.
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