CNN —
Michigan State University issued an apology after a picture of Adolf Hitler was displayed on the videoboard during a trivia quiz before the school’s football game against in-state rivals, the University of Michigan, on Saturday.
Before kickoff, photos of Hitler on the videoboard at Spartan Stadium circulated on social media, accompanied by a trivia question about his birthplace.
“MSU is aware that inappropriate content by a third-party source was displayed on the videoboard prior to the start of tonight’s football game,” stated Michigan State athletic director Matt Larson in a statement. However, he reassured, “We are deeply sorry for the content that was displayed, as this is not representative of our institutional values.”
Consequently, the university will discontinue using the third-party source of the image and implement stricter screening procedures for all videoboard content in the future, added Larson.
In an email titled “The work we must do,” Michigan State Interim President Teresa K. Woodruff extended her apologies for the incident to alumni, emphasizing her commitment to creating an inclusive environment.
“I am deeply sorry for the image displayed at Spartan Stadium, which made many of our community feel alienated and unsafe. It was unacceptable,” said Woodruff. She also pledged to conduct a thorough review of the incident and take appropriate actions to align the university’s messaging and actions with its values.
Woodruff concluded, “I will collaborate with our Jewish community and every member of minoritized populations to ensure Spartans feel welcome in all aspects of university life.”
This apology comes as another setback for Michigan State’s football program, which suffered a significant loss against rival Michigan with a score of 49-0. Additionally, the university has initiated the process of terminating head coach Mel Tucker due to allegations of sexual harassment, just two years after signing a lucrative ten-year, $95 million contract.
This trivia incident coincides with elevated tensions on college campuses regarding the Israel-Gaza conflict, along with concerns about increasing antisemitism and Islamophobia.
The university revealed that the quiz video came from a YouTube page called The Quiz Channel. They have been using videos from the same page throughout the season before each home game.
“Up until last night, the content had not raised any objections,” the university stated. However, they acknowledged the need for stronger content screening to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.
Floris van Pallandt, the creator of The Quiz Channel, stated in an email to CNN that the university’s use of his channel’s content was unauthorized.
Van Pallandt wrote, “I was completely unaware of this and only learned that content created by me was being used due to this incident. While I offer customized content packages for businesses, the utilization of my publicly accessible YouTube content for stadium entertainment is highly questionable, to say the least.”
Van Pallandt mentioned that his channel is currently receiving a surge of negative feedback.
Referring to the university’s subsequent statement, Van Pallandt expressed that if the allusion to a third-party source pertains to The Quiz Channel, it is unacceptable for his channel to suffer any reputational, performance, or financial consequences due to Michigan State’s unsolicited use of their content.
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