Michigan: Athletic Director Apologizes After Employee Flashes Hitler's Image During Game

Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller apologized to the Jewish communities on behalf of the Spartan Athletics after an employee flashed Hitler's image on scoreboards during a Michigan game.

Haller suspended the employee and will be under investigation to establish potential action in the future.

Michigan Athletic Director Apologizes to Jewish Communities

(Photo : Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN - OCTOBER 21: Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines takes the field with his team to play the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium on October 21, 2023 in East Lansing, Michigan.

According to CBS News, Haller apologized to the Jewish communities and said their department was responsible for the inappropriate content posted on the scoreboards late Sunday.

Haller said that the image was harmful to the Jewish community, which is currently going through a rise in antisemitism and different acts of violence. He said his responsibility was to keep the people interacting with Spartan Athletics safe, valued, and respected.

"Antisemitism must be denounced," he added.

Furthermore, he will reach out to the Jewish communities in the East Lansing area and on campus to inform the community how the department failed and come up with a chance to give a response.

"I understand our response might be met with skepticism," Haller said. But he reassured that the skepticism was warranted and the community that he would do his best to regain their trust.

He also explained that before Hitler's image was displayed, everyone in athletics viewed the video in a partial length, as reported in the Detroit Free Press.

"The video was not part of a sponsorship and had no affiliation with any of our corporate partners or our community," he said.

Interim University President Teresa Woodruff also apologized for the image displayed at Spartan Stadium, which made many communities feel infuriated and unsafe.

She said the incident was unacceptable and would review the university event. She will take all necessary steps to place their messages and actions with their values.

Haller Suspends Michigan Employee

A Michigan employee was suspended with pay after an image of Hitler was displayed on the scoreboard. According to the New York Post, the image of Hitler and his birthplace appeared as a part of a pregame trivia quiz approximately 80 minutes before kickoff was shown on the scoreboard. The photos were posted instantly and went viral on social media.

The quiz on the scoreboard was streamed from a YouTube channel called "The Quiz Channel." The image of Hitler came from a video titled "General Knowledge Trivia Quiz (Part 18)."

Floris van Pallandt, the creator and producer of the YouTube channel, said on his page that Michigan State did not ask him for permission to use his content and did not compensate for the damages.

Pallandt also wrote that it was just a standard trivia question but displayed in an inappropriate setting. He also added that the image flashed on the scoreboard ignored the dark facets of history.