METAIRIE, La. – The New Orleans Saints have canceled Saturday’s preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals due to Hurricane Ida.
Ida is now forecast to be a catastrophic Category 4 hurricane and is expected to make landfall on the Louisiana coast on Sunday.
The Saints’ preseason finale was originally set for 7 p.m., then was rescheduled on Friday morning for Saturday at noon before the team nixed the game entirely.
“Due to the intensification of the hurricane throughout the day and after the most recent tropical update, the team’s leadership has made the decision in the best interests of all personnel that may have been directly and indirectly affected by the storm,” the team said in a statement.
The Saints worked with city and state officials, the National Weather Service, Homeland Security and the NFL in making their decision, and that the team will be in touch with season ticket holders regarding potential refunds/credits.
Winds in south Louisiana, including New Orleans, could reach 140 mph as a Category 4 Ida comes ashore south of Morgan City on Sunday night, as well as a storm surge as high as 15 feet above ground level and almost 2 feet of rain, according to the National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service.
Sunday is the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
This, of course, is not the first time an NFL contest has been canceled, relocated, been moved up or postponed by hurricanes.
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Saints played their home games at Giants Stadium in New Jersey; the Alamodome in San Antonio; or LSU’s Tiger Stadium.
Also in 2005, Hurricane Wilma caused the NFL to move the Miami Dolphins’ home game against the Kansas City Chiefs up to a Friday evening.
In 2004, the Dolphins’ home game against the Tennessee Titans was moved up a day because of Hurricane Ivan.
In 2008, Hurricane Ike forced the Houston Texans to shift their schedule. Their Week 2 home game against the Baltimore Ravens was postponed. Then, after the Texans’ home stadium was damaged by the storm, the postponed game moved to Baltimore.
