AP Photo/Derick Hingle
The New Orleans Saints decided to cancel Saturday's preseason match against the Arizona Cardinals after initially moving the start time up.
Friday's statement by the Saints announced their decision.
"Due to the intensity of the hurricane throughout today and the most recent tropical update," the team's leaders have made this decision in the best interest of all personnel who may have been directly or indirectly affected by the storm. After constant communication with the City of New Orleans officials, Homeland Security, Homeland Security, Governor Edwards, and other top state officials as well as the National Football League, this announcement was made.
Originally, the game was scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Saturday. The Saints had earlier announced that kickoff at Caesars Superdome was moved to 1 p.m.
Alex Sosnowski of AccuWeather.com reports that Hurricane Ida made landfall on Friday afternoon in Cuba and is currently "barreling into Mexico's southeast Gulf of Mexico".
Sosnowski pointed out that Ida is expected to intensify rapidly and could even approach the U.S. Coast as a Category 4 hurricane.
The National Hurricane Center issued a Hurricane Warning for Louisiana's Gulf Coast. "Hurricane force winds are expected Sunday in parts of the Hurricane Warning Area along the Louisiana coast, including New Orleans metropolitan area, with potentially catastrophic wind damages possible where the core or Ida moves ontoshore."
Saturday would have been Sunday's final preseason game for the Cardinals and Saints.
New Orleans will open the regular season against the Green Bay Packers at home on Sept. 12.
