Morris Berger, the offensive coordinator for Grand Valley State, was suspended on Monday for his comments about Adolf Hitler. He told the school newspaper that he would like to meet Hitler and said no one could deny “he wasn’t a great leader.” The school, which is located in western Michigan, is looking into his comments.
Berger was recently hired by the school and he was asked which historical figure he would love to have dinner with.
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“This is probably not going to get a good review, but I’m going to say Adolf Hitler,” he said to the Lanthorn. 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 went on to say that he would love to have dinner with John F. Kennedy.
“You have to go JFK, his experience with the country and being that he was a good president and everything,” he said. “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.”
The school released a statement that announced his suspension.
“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 school’s statement said, per ESPN. “Berger has been suspended and the university is conducting a thorough investigation.”
Grand Valley State announced the hiring of Berger last week. Last year, Berger was the tight ends coach at Texas State and he was on the Oklahoma State coaching staff in 2017 and 2018.
“I would like to thank Director of Athletics Keri Becker and head coach Matt Mitchell for the opportunity to join the Grand Valley State football family,” Berger said in a press release. “I look forward to being a part of a football program that has a tradition of national excellence on and off the field. After spending time with Coach Mitchell I quickly realized that he has established a culture that cares about developing the person and the player, which was important to me. We will work tirelessly to establish a culture on offense that is aligned with that development to create an explosive offense.”
