Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi had the same terrifying experience as many parents in and around New Orleans on New Year’s Day.
After learning of the terrorist attack that killed 15 and left more than 30 injured in the French Quarter early Wednesday, the 54-year-old New Jersey native was left panicked over the whereabouts of one of his teenage sons.
‘I left my house this morning, I went to see if my son was home and he wasn’t,’ Rizzi told reporters Wednesday afternoon without identifying which of his three sons he was referring to. ‘Then I sat in that parking lot and found out that there was mass casualties, the first thing I did was figure out where his location was.
‘And fortunately for me, he was at his friend’s house sleeping over,’ Rizzi continued. ‘I’m blessed and I’m lucky and I’m fortunate, because there’s other kids that didn’t go home to their families last night.’
Rizzi was speaking more than 12 hours after Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old US citizen born and raised in Texas, rammed a truck into Bourbon Street crowds early on New Year’s Day. In addition to those killed, more than 30 people were injured. Jabbar was killed in a firefight with police following the attack at about 3:15am along Bourbon Street near Canal Street, the FBI said.
Like many parents, Rizzi was left feeling vulnerable on Wednesday.
Darren Rizzi had the same terrifying experience as many parents in and around New Orleans
Police vehicles are seen outside the Louisiana Superdome following Wednesday’s attack
‘It hits home for me personally, because I have five children between the ages of 17 and 26 and I can tell you early this morning, the first thing I thought of was my own son was out last night for New Year’s Eve in this community,’ he said. ‘My daughter was home just last week and was down in the French Quarter. This hits home.’
Seven victims have now been identified among the 15 innocent people who were killed in the horrific New Orleans terror attack.
A former college football star, high school senior, father-of-two and young mother are some of the 15 victims who tragically died when Jabbar deliberately drove into pedestrians with an ISIS flag attached to his car.
Tiger Bech, 28, Ni’kyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, 18, Reggie Hunter, 37, Nicole Perez, 27, Matthew Tenedorio, Kareem Badawi, and Hubert Gauthreaux, 21, lost their lives in the senseless attack in the early hours of News Year’s Day in the French Quarter.
Rizzi also opened up to reporters about his memories of September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, when two of his former high school teammates were killed at the World Trade Center.
‘I went to a lot of memorials and funerals,’ said Rizzi, who played at famed New Jersey powerhouse Bergen Catholic before enrolling at Rhode Island. ‘And so any time it’s something like this comes up, because you could see the smoke from the World Trade Center at my home, where I lived, and so when I tell you that it hits home, it hits home.’
Law enforcement members work at the site where people were killed by a man driving a truck
Prior to taking over for the fired Dennis Allen in November, Rizzi previously worked under Sean Payton – the coach who helped resurrect the Saints in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. To many, it was the team’s Super Bowl victory 15 years ago that marked New Orleans’ return to prominence.
Rizzi was quick to reference New Orleans’ past resurections when speaking to reporters Wednesday.
‘Here’s what I know,’ Rizzi said. ‘I know that the community that we live in, this city, this state is one of the most resilient, if not the most resilient in the entire United States. That’s been proven time and time again.
‘I know that they’ve risen before, will rise again, and will support everybody. I also know this: This entire community has our entire organization behind them 100 percent. Our players, our coaches, our staff. Everybody with this organization is here for this community.
‘Everybody that I asked about moving here — no matter what they said — they all had two things to say,’ Rizzi continued. ‘Number one, the food. Right? But the second one was always the people. And it’s the resilience of the people, it’s the attitude of the people, and it’s the community involvement here that I think that makes the people in this area what they are.
He would ultimately turn the conversation to Katrina.
‘Obviously, there’s just so many things that have happened here — you know, natural disasters, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes — that this area had to deal with. We always, always, always come back and always, always, always find a way to make it through,’ he said.
‘This is going to be a tough time, but I’m positive that the community is going to do the same thing in this instance as well.’
While Rizzi is confident in New Orleans’ future, his own is less certain in the crescent city, where he’s worked since 2019.
The Saints are just 5-11 heading into the seasone finale in Tampa on Sunday.
Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who briefly played for the Saints, is rumored to be one candidate in New Orleans, although the team could also turn to offensive coordinator Klunt Kubiak, former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, or Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator, Anthony Weaver.
