Michigan State University apologises for Hitler quiz question before football game

Michigan State University (MSU) has issued an apology for displaying a trivia question about Adolf Hitler on the video screen at its football stadium.

On Saturday night, MSU was set to face off against Michigan at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing when the question about Hitler's birthplace appeared on the stadium screen along with a picture of Hitler.

The trivia video was sourced from a YouTube channel called "The Quiz Channel," and the channel's creator, Floris van Pallandt, stated that he had no knowledge of MSU using his content for stadium entertainment.



The Hitler image was displayed for an unknown duration, but the YouTube video displayed it for about 18 seconds. MSU's associate athletic director, Matt Larson, issued an apology and announced that the university would not use the third-party source in the future. They also plan to implement stronger screening and approval procedures for video board content.

Michigan State's Vice President and Director of Athletics, Alan Haller, admitted that the video was not reviewed in its entirety by anyone in the athletics department before it was displayed, highlighting a failure in their process. An employee connected to the incident has been identified and suspended with pay pending an investigation.

Interim university President Teresa Woodruff also apologized, calling the incident "unacceptable" and pledging to work with the Jewish community and all minority populations to ensure an inclusive and welcoming environment at MSU.

The MSU Board of Trustees expressed their outrage over the image and publicly apologized to all who witnessed or learned about the incident. They are demanding an explanation for how the question was shown and are committed to holding accountable those responsible within the university.