- Michigan State University said it accidentally displayed an image of Hitler on its videoboard.
- The Hitler photo, shown just before a Saturday football game, was part of a trivia quiz.
Michigan State University apologized on Saturday after an image of Adolf Hitler was displayed on its stadium videoboard just before a football game.
Photos circulating on social media show the videoboard was displaying a still of Hitler for a trivia quiz, which asked where the dictator was born.
The university said the image and quiz, shown just before MSU's Saturday game against the University of Michigan, came from a "third-party source."
"We are deeply sorry for the content that was displayed, as this is not representative of our institutional values," Matt Larson, the associate athletic director for MSU, said.
Larson added that MSU will stop using the third-party source, and that it will "implement stronger screening and approval procedures" for content shown on its videoboards.
Employee suspended
On Sunday evening, Alan Haller, MSU's athletic director, said an unnamed employee was suspended with pay as the university investigates the incident.
"Michigan State Athletics is responsible for all content shown on its video boards. Before it was displayed, the video was not viewed in its entirety by anyone in athletics, exposing a failure in our process," Haller added.
Haller said the image was "harmful" and apologized "for the pain it has caused our community."
"Antisemitism must be denounced. The image displayed prior to Saturday night's game is not representative of who we are and the culture we embody," Haller added. "Nevertheless, we must own our failures and accept responsibility."
YouTube channel 'unaware' of MSU using its content for stadium
The image in question was uploaded by the The Quiz Channel on YouTube on October 13.
The channel makes weekly trivia quizzes covering general knowledge, music, geography, and film.
Floris van Pallandt, the channel's producer, wrote in a comment on his video that he did not know MSU had used his content for its pre-game quizzes.
"To be clear, I was unaware Michigan State University is using my content for stadium entertainment and this was unsolicited and unauthorized use. A random history trivia question in an inappropriate setting," he wrote.
MSU told CNN that videos from The Quiz Channel had been used for each home game of the entire season.
"Prior to last night, the content has not been objectionable," the university said, per the outlet. "As the statement acknowledges, we will implement stronger screening of all content to better ensure something like this never happens again."
Representatives for MSU and The Quiz Channel did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider sent outside regular business hours.
MSU lost to the University of Michigan, its in-state rival, with a score of 0-49.