MSU suspends staffer, says quiz not viewed in full
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller said he has suspended an employee involved in allowing Adolf Hitler’s image to be shown on videoboards at Spartan Stadium before Saturday’s football game against No. 2 Michigan.
The employee, who was not named, will be paid pending an investigation that will help to determine potential action in the future. Haller said no one in the department viewed the entire video, exposing a failure in its process.
“Antisemitism must be denounced,” Haller said in a statement Sunday night. “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.”
The creator and producer of The Quiz Channel on YouTube, which includes Hitler’s image as part of a quiz, said the school didn’t ask for permission to use his content or pay him for it and defended his decision to include the question on his platform.
“It’s an absolutely normal trivia question, shown in an inappropriate setting,” Floris van Pallandt wrote 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.
While the Wolverines were finishing off a 49-0 win over the Spartans on Saturday night, Michigan State spokesman Matt Larson apologized for the inappropriate content that was displayed more than an hour before kickoff.
“MSU will not be using the third-party source going forward and will implement stronger screening and approval procedures for all videoboard content in the future,” Larson said.
Michigan State streamed The Quiz Channel, which had 40 questions in its latest video, including asking where Hitler was born with his image before showing Austria as the answer. The previous question asked, “In Star Trek, what color was Spock’s blood?” before green was shown as the answer.
“I am deeply sorry for the image displayed at Spartan Stadium, which made many of our community feel alienated and unsafe,” Michigan State interim 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.
“I will work with our Jewish community and every member of minoritized populations to ensure Spartans feel that this is a place where everyone can live, work, go to class and attend events that are welcoming.”
Later Sunday, Haller apologized and said his department is responsible for all content on its videoboards.
“Ultimately, it is my responsibility to make sure all those who interact with Spartan Athletics feel safe, valued and respected,” Haller said. “The image was harmful to our communities, especially our Jewish community which is currently experiencing a rise in antisemitism, including acts of violence.”
Haller said he will reach out to Jewish community groups in the East Lansing area and on campus to tell them personally how his department failed and to provide a chance to give feedback.
“I understand our response might be met with skepticism,” Haller said. “That skepticism is warranted, and we will do all that is necessary to earn back your trust.”
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Adam Rittenberg
Maryland quarterback Malik Washington, who set the team’s freshman passing record this fall, will return to the Terrapins for the 2026 season.
Washington set Maryland freshman records for passing yards (2,963) and completions (273) this season, while connecting on 17 touchdown passes. He reached 200 passing yards in all but one game and finished as just the second Big Ten freshman since 1996 to record at least 2,500 passing yards and at least 300 rushing yards.
“Representing this team, this area, means so much to me and my family,” Washington said in a statement Saturday. “This is home and we’re going to continue keeping the best athletes from this area here with the Terps. I believe in everyone in our facility and I know we’re building something that our fans will be excited about for years to come.”
Washington, the nation’s No. 134 recruit in the 2025 class, grew up in Severn, Maryland, about 30 miles from Maryland’s campus. Despite a 4-8 record that included only one Big Ten win, Maryland announced that coach Mike Locksley, who recruited Washington, would return in 2026. Locksley will enter his eighth season as Maryland’s coach.
“Malik is a Terp through and through and I’m thrilled he’s coming back to lead this football team,” Locksley said in a statement. “He means so much to this area and this area means so much to him. What we saw from Malik this past season is only the tip of the iceberg. He has such a bright future and he’s already started putting the work in towards the 2026 season.”
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