College football coach suspended after saying he’d like to have dinner with Hitler

A college football coach in Michigan was suspended on Monday after he told a student newspaper that he would like to have dinner with Adolf Hitler because the German dictator’s ability to lead “was second-to-none.”

Grand Valley State University suspended Morris Berger from the offensive coordinator position shortly after he was hired following the backlash for his comments, local outlet WOODTV reported.

“The comments made by Offensive Coordinator Morris Berger, as reported in The Lanthorn student newspaper, do not reflect the values of Grand Valley State University,” the university said in a statement. “Berger has been suspended and the university is conducting a thorough investigation.”

Berger graduated with a degree in history from Drury University, so the sports editor of the student outlet asked which three historical figures, living or dead, would Berger would like to have dinner with.  

“This is probably not going to get a good review, but I’m going to say Adolf Hitler,” Berger said, according to the interview. “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.” 

“Yeah, that’s definitely one. You have to go [former President John F. Kennedy], his experience with the country and being that he was a good president and everything,” Berger continued. “And this might sound crazy, but Christopher Columbus, the ability to go on the journey he was on and his emotion into the unknown. Think about putting yourself in the setting of that unknown, and then to take it all in as you arrive is crazy.”

Berger was officially announced as offensive coordinator by the school on Jan. 20. 

The Hill has reached out to him for comment.