NEW ORLEANS — Police officers, firefighters and paramedics who responded to the deadly truck-ramming terror attack on Bourbon Street will be honored at Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, according to the NFL.
For the eleventh time, the Super Bowl will be played in the Big Easy, but this year’s event will include a somber tribute to the victims and first responders of the New Year’s Day attack, which left 14 dead and dozens injured, ABC News reports.
“We will appropriately honor the victims and first responders,” league spokesperson Brian McCarthy told ABC News. Details of the tribute have not been publicly disclosed.
The game, set to take place at Caesars Superdome, is expected to draw more than 75,000 fans, with millions more watching on television, according to ABC News. Some survivors of the attack, along with police officers, firefighters and paramedics who responded to the scene, are expected to be in attendance.
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During the Sugar Bowl earlier this year, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell led a moment of silence before kickoff. Former President Joe Biden also addressed the crowd in a video message, stating, “The spirit of New Orleans can never be kept down.”
President Donald Trump is expected to attend Sunday’s Super Bowl, marking the first time a sitting president has done so, according to White House officials.
In the days leading up to the game, players from the Super Bowl teams and the New Orleans Saints have surprised attack survivors with tickets, according to ABC News.
On Monday, Saints linebacker Demario Davis presented Super Bowl tickets to Stevey Kells, a nurse who provided aid to victims in the immediate aftermath of the attack, ABC News reports.
“It’s a resilient city. That response began with the first responders, those who were on scene and those who had to react quickly, and she was there,” Davis said. “So, it means a lot. To be able to give back to somebody who’s given so much, was awesome. That’s what it’s all about.”
Security at the Super Bowl will be heightened, with more than 2,700 local, state and federal law enforcement officers assigned to the event, ABC News reports.
“We have reviewed and re-reviewed all the details of what happened on Jan. 1,” NFL Chief of Security Cathy Lanier said. “We have reviewed and re-reviewed each of our roles within the overarching security plan, and we have reassessed and stressed tested — our timing, our communication protocols, our contingency measures and our emergency response plans multiple times over, over the past several weeks.”
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said at least 700 Homeland Security personnel will be on the ground in New Orleans to assist with security, with additional support available if needed.
“This Super Bowl exemplifies how we come together to safeguard our traditions, how we come together to make sure that the public is well-informed and gets the chance to celebrate something that is very special to us, our culture, to our people and our families,” Noem said.
