Michigan State football: Video analysis of MSU’s 49-0 loss to Michigan
Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch and Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari assess MSU’s football team after a 49-0 loss to Michigan.
Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller announced Sunday that an “involved employee” was suspended with pay after a picture of Adolf Hitler flashed on the Spartan Stadium scoreboard before the game against Michigan.
“Michigan State Athletics is responsible for all content shown on its video boards,” Haller said in a statement. “Before it was displayed, the video was not viewed in its entirety by anyone in athletics, 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 said in the statement he was “deeply sorry for the offensive image we displayed” and said apologized “for the pain it has caused our community,” which he acknowledged is “currently experiencing a rise in antisemitism, including acts of violence.”
“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 image went viral after appearing about 80 minutes prior to kickoff during a pregame trivia question about Hitler’s birthplace. It was a match to an image published in an Oct. 13 episode on “The Quiz Channel,” a YouTube channel that posts quizzes in a number of different categories.
The creator and producer of The Quiz Channel said the school didn’t ask for permission to use his content or pay him for it.
“It’s an absolutely normal trivia question, shown in an inappropriate setting,” Floris van Pallandt, creator and producer of The Quiz Channel wrote Sunday on his YouTube page. “Ignoring the dark facets of history is by no means the answer, on the contrary.”
The channel is publicly available and free for users.
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MSU athletics initially released a statement about the incident midway through the fourth quarter of the 49-0 loss to Michigan. Haller apologized again on behalf of the university, following the Board of Trustees and President Teresa Woodruff earlier on Sunday. He said he would reach out to local groups in the Jewish community and student groups to make sure the impact is understood and the incident is not repeated.
“Antisemitism must be denounced,” Haller said. “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. 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.”
The incident occurred amid heightened scrutiny for antisemitism due to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. It also happened the same day a Detroit synagogue president was fatally stabbed outside her home.
It was the latest controversy for Michigan State, which fired football coach Mel Tucker for cause Sept. 27 after a USA TODAY investigation revealed sexual harassment allegations against Tucker by Brenda Tracy, a prominent rape survivor and activist.
“Every person in the MSU community and our guests deserve to feel safe and that they belong,” the Board of Trustees’ statement said. “The board does not condone bigotry of any kind. We will take necessary steps to ensure that our athletic department and the administration live up to that expectation at all times.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
