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CFB Reporter Laura Rutledge Responds to 'Horrible' Fan Comment Amid Sugar Bowl Postponement

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Jan 1, 2025 8:20 PM ET

New Orleans, Louisiana, has been left in a state of shock after a tragic attack on Bourbon Street claimed the lives of at least 15 people.

According to a report by ABC News, an Army veteran identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, was the man behind the attack. Jabbar reportedly drove a rented pickup truck into a crowd of New Year's revelers in the wee hours of Jan. 1, killing 15 people and injuring dozens of others.

This unfortunate turn of events on New Year's Day led college football officials to postponing the much-anticipated Sugar Bowl showdown between No. 7 seed Notre Dame and No. 2 Georgia. It was announced on Wednesday that the College Playoff quarterfinal between these two sides has been pushed back by 24 hours.

SEC Nation's Laura Rutledge is in New Orleans to provide coverage for the game. The veteran sportscaster was on the ground reporting updates as new information came in. At one point, Rutledge reported from inside Caesars Superdome as she revealed that players on both teams are "essentially on lockdown" in their hotels.

Georgia & Notre Dame will remain in their hotels for the rest of today "essentially on lockdown" while the Sugar Bowl is postponed, reports @LauraRutledge pic.twitter.com/IMUKaHV811
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) January 1, 2025

One viewer, however, decided to comment on Rutledge's appearance during her report, noting that her "hair looks horrible."

Rutledge could not help but respond to the critic. The 36-year-old former beauty queen agreed with the viewer's remark as she explained why this was the least of her priorities at that point in time.

"Yes it does," she responded on X. "I raced to gather information and hop on tv asap so threw my hair in a bun and haven’t worried about it. People lost their lives and loved ones. No one is worried about my hair including me."

Yes it does. I raced to gather information and hop on tv asap so threw my hair in a bun and haven’t worried about it. People lost their lives and loved ones. No one is worried about my hair including me.
— Laura Rutledge (@LauraRutledge) January 1, 2025

Rutledge and her glam team take a lot of time and effort to make sure that she looks her best whenever she gets in front of the camera. However, on this particular occasion, Rutledge herself made it abundantly clear that delivering the news amid this tragedy takes precedence over her appearance.

As for the game, the new kick-off time is now scheduled for 4:00 p.m. ET on Thursday. It will still be played at Caesars Superdome, which is less than a mile away from Bourbon Street.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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