by Kate Anderson
A Michigan State University (MSU) employee was suspended Sunday after allowing an image of Adolf Hitler to be shown on the university’s scoreboard, according to The Associated Press.
The video was shown prior to Saturday’s rivalry football game between MSU and the University of Michigan, according to the AP. Alan Haller, MSU’s vice president and director of Athletics, released a statement Monday confirming that the employee had been suspended without pay and was under investigation, noting that the MSU athletics department failed to check the entire video before it was approved.
“Michigan State Athletics is responsible for all content shown on its video boards. Before it was displayed, the video was not viewed in its entirety by anyone in athletics, exposing a failure in our process,” Haller wrote. “The video was not part of a sponsorship and had no affiliation with any of our corporate partners or our community. An initial assessment was conducted, and an involved employee has been identified and suspended with pay pending the results of an investigation. The investigation will determine any future appropriate actions.”
The video was from the YouTube account The Quiz Channel and featured a question about Hitler’s place of birth, according to the AP. The quiz’s creator, Floris van Pallandt, said that MSU had not asked for permission to use the video and that “Ignoring the dark facets of history is by no means the answer, on the contrary.”
Matt Larson, an MSU spokesperson, apologized for the video Saturday evening and emphasized that MSU would no longer use a third party for its videos, according to the AP. Teresa Woodruff, MSU’s interim university president, called the incident “unacceptable” in a Sunday statement and directed the university to conduct a “full review.”
Haller also wrote that he would be “reaching out to local groups within the Jewish community” to address the situation and provide an opportunity for the students and community to “be heard,” according to his statement.
“Antisemitism must be denounced. The image displayed prior to Saturday night’s game is not representative of who we are and the culture we embody. Nevertheless, we must own our failures and accept responsibility,” Haller said. “I understand our response might be met with skepticism. That skepticism is warranted, and we will do all that is necessary to earn back your trust.”
– – –
Kate Anderson is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Michigan State University Stadium” by Michigan State University.
