Grand Valley State University in Michigan suspended a recently hired football coach over comments he made to the student newspaper about wanting to dine with Adolf Hitler.
The university suspended the coach, offensive coordinator Morris Berger. It has started an investigation and told a local NBC affiliate that Berger’s comments do not reflect the university’s values.
Berger became offensive coordinator last week. He’d previously been tight ends coach at Texas State University.
His comments about Hitler were published in a Q&A appearing in the Grand Valley Lanthorn. Berger was asked to name three nonfootball historical figures with whom he would like to dine.
“This is probably not going to get a good review, but I’m going to say Adolf Hitler,” Berger said, according to the transcript. “It was obviously very sad and he had bad motives, but the way he was able to lead was second to none. How he rallied a group and a following. I want to know how he did that. Bad intentions of course, but you can’t deny he wasn’t a great leader.”
Berger also said he would like to dine with John F. Kennedy and Christopher Columbus.
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