BY: CHARLOTTE JONES / CHIEF NEWS EDITOR
Michigan State University has issued an apology after a recent scandal occurred before their game against Michigan. MSU was playing a trivia quiz on the big screen when an image of Adolf Hitler came up, asking about his birthplace.
The trivia video came from the Youtube page, “The Quiz Channel.” The channel creator Floris van Pallandt issued a statement saying he had no idea MSU was using his video.
"To be clear, I was unaware Michigan State University is using my content for stadium entertainment and this was unsolicited and unauthorized use," he wrote. "A random history trivia question in an inappropriate setting."
Michigan State University’s associate athletic director, Matt Larson, issued a statement saying the university would “not be using the third party source going forward” and that the university will “implement stronger screening and approval procedures for all video board content in the future.”
The Vice President and Director of Athletics, Alan Haller, stated that no one within the athletics department had watched the video in its entirety prior to its presentation, "exposing a failure in our process. The video was not part of a sponsorship and had no affiliation with any of our corporate partners or our community."
Haller added that “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.”
Haller expressed his intention to personally contact Jewish community organizations in the East Lansing area and on campus. He aims to acknowledge the department's shortcomings and offer them an opportunity to provide feedback.
“I am deeply sorry for the image displayed at Spartan Stadium, which made many of our community feel alienated and unsafe,” interim university President Teresa Woodruff said Sunday. “It was unacceptable. I asked last evening for a full review of this university event and will take all necessary steps to align our messages and actions to our values.
Michigan State University went on to lose that game 49-0.
Since the game, the incident has taken over the internet. ‘Saturday Night Live’ used the incident as the brunt of one of its jokes. Users on the platform, ‘X,’ formerly known as Twitter, called into question why Hitler would ever be brought up in trivia in the first place.
An ‘X’ user posted, “Michigan State says its ‘deeply sorry’ after a pregame scoreboard question asked what country Hitler was born in. This is insane.”
Another X user posted “Just when you think things couldn’t possibly get worse for Michigan State football, the athletic department had to release an in game press release about ADOLF HILTER.”
This is not the first time the University athletic department has come under fire. Michigan State cut its Mens and Womens swim and dive teams in 2020, citing financial issues from the COVID-19 pandemic. They then went on to announce plans to build a $200 million recreation center that includes a 50 meter swimming pool.
This is also not the first time the football program has come under fire this year. The former football coach Mel Tucker was let go last month after a sexual harassment claim was filed. Bredna Tracy accused Tucker of making several sexual advances after she came to MSU to speak to the football team about sexual harassment. Tucker's attorney released a statement on his behalf claiming Tucker thought they were in a relationship.
The program is currently 2-6 in the 2023 season.