ESPN: Grand Valley State suspends OC Morris Berger for wanting meal with Adolf Hitler

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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per ESPN:

Grand Valley State University has suspended offensive coordinator Morris Berger as the school investigates comments Berger made to a student newspaper regarding Adolf Hitler.

Berger was interviewed in the Grand Valley Lanthorn paper and was asked which three historical figures Berger would have dinner with. Berger responded by saying one of his choices would be Adolf Hitler, because of his leadership skills.

"This is probably not going to get a good review, but I'm going to say Adolf Hitler," Berger said in 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."

The school is now investigating his comments and has suspended him as the investigation is ongoing.

"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. "Berger has been suspended and the university is conducting a thorough investigation."

www.espn.com

GVSU OC suspended for wanting meal with Hitler

Grand Valley State offensive coordinator Morris Berger has been suspended while the school investigates comments Berger made to a student newspaper regarding Adolf Hitler.
www.espn.com www.espn.com

Go Gophers!!
 


Oh brother! It is amazing what tyranny, slave labor, and fear can do to get everyone pulling on the same rope. The problem is, that isn't leadership. Hitler's version of leadership was completely dependent on, you know, those things that also made him one of the most evil figures in all human history. A stunning lack of historical knowledge by coach Berger.
 

I think it’s ridiculous that a coach can’t answer honestly without being suspended. Clearly he acknowledged it wouldn’t go over well, he knew people would take it the wrong way, and then what did people do? Took it the wrong way. Can’t speak of Hitler in any way, except negatively. This is pathetic. Say goodbye to free speech
 

mjfelton15 said:
I think it’s ridiculous that a coach can’t answer honestly without being suspended. Clearly he acknowledged it wouldn’t go over well, he knew people would take it the wrong way, and then what did people do? Took it the wrong way. Can’t speak of Hitler in any way, except negatively. This is pathetic. Say goodbye to free speech
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Just out of curiosity, how would you speak of Hitler positively?

Go Gophers!!
 


mjfelton15 said:
I think it’s ridiculous that a coach can’t answer honestly without being suspended. Clearly he acknowledged it wouldn’t go over well, he knew people would take it the wrong way, and then what did people do? Took it the wrong way. Can’t speak of Hitler in any way, except negatively. This is pathetic. Say goodbye to free speech
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He had every right to say what he did. And the University had every right to suspend him for it. He is a public figure who publicly made a statement praising the leadership abilities of the man responsible for the extermination of millions of Jews.
 

I'm surprised that he was suspended for answering honestly....but seriously....have a little bit of awareness. There have been plenty of fantastic leaders throughout history that haven't been murderous lunatics.
 

BleedGopher said:
Just out of curiosity, how would you speak of Hitler positively?

Go Gophers!!
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I wouldn’t speak of him positively, but I get what he was saying. He said that Hitler’s ability to rally people was impressive. Okay, and that deserves being fired?
 




MNVCGUY said:
He had every right to say what he did. And the University had every right to fire him for it. He is a public figure who publicly made a statement praising the leadership abilities of the man responsible for the extermination of millions of Jews.
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you don’t see firing a guy for a comment, that actually isn’t offensive whatsoever, is a little bit of an over reaction? He didn’t praise the extermination of Jews though did he? He said his ability to rally so many to his side was impressive. I’ve heard that comment before from other people, and I don’t think it’s out of line or offensive. People need to not just have thicker skins, but some need to grow some sort of skin altogether it appears
 


mjfelton15 said:
I wouldn’t speak of him positively, but I get what he was saying. He said that Hitler’s ability to rally people was impressive. Okay, and that deserves being fired?
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As the story states above, he wasn't fired. Sure he might be, but it clearly states he's been suspended while the school investigates the situation.

I also see people commonly cite the "end of free speech" as you did, which leads me to believe you don't understand what free speech is. Free speech is his right to say whatever he wants without being put in jail. Free speech has nothing to do with a University's right to employ the people it wants. He has free speech, that is not debatable at all.

Go Gophers!!
 

mjfelton15 said:
I think it’s ridiculous that a coach can’t answer honestly without being suspended. Clearly he acknowledged it wouldn’t go over well, he knew people would take it the wrong way, and then what did people do? Took it the wrong way. Can’t speak of Hitler in any way, except negatively. This is pathetic. Say goodbye to free speech
Click to expand...
Sounds like a white supremacist. He should be fired.
 



mjfelton15 said:
I think it’s ridiculous that a coach can’t answer honestly without being suspended. Clearly he acknowledged it wouldn’t go over well, he knew people would take it the wrong way, and then what did people do? Took it the wrong way. Can’t speak of Hitler in any way, except negatively. This is pathetic. Say goodbye to free speech
Click to expand...
Freedom of speech protects him from the government punishing him here, not from his employer suspending him for being a moron. I am in general agreement that we are in dangerous times when it comes to censoring people, but this isn't the example I would have chosen.
 


mjfelton15 said:
you don’t see firing a guy for a comment, that actually isn’t offensive whatsoever, is a little bit of an over reaction? He didn’t praise the extermination of Jews though did he? He said his ability to rally so many to his side was impressive. I’ve heard that comment before from other people, and I don’t think it’s out of line or offensive. People need to not just have thicker skins, but some need to grow some sort of skin altogether it appears
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Again, he wasn't fired. Not sure why you are so steadfast in your comments that he was fired.

I also don't understand why you think someone else's opinion should match yours. If you aren't offended by the comment, great. But you then tell others they need "thicker skin" because a comment you think is fine.

Go Gophers!!
 


Gophers1992 said:
Freedom of speech protects him from the government punishing him here, not from his employer suspending him for being a moron. I am in general agreement that we are in dangerous times when it comes to censoring people, but this isn't the example I would have chosen.
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His comment wasn’t offensive. To take it as being offensive requires some serious inability to comprehend a statement.
 

Why couldn't he pick someone like George Washington? He was a true leader in all sense of the word. He had to pick Hitler. He has the right to free speech. There is so much hatred in this world. There are demagogues who led entire people and nations into disastrous paths with the power of evil instead of good.
 



BleedGopher said:
Again, he wasn't fired. Not sure why you are so steadfast in your comments that he was fired.

I also don't understand why you think someone else's opinion should match yours. If you aren't offended by the comment, great. But you then tell others they need "thicker skin" because a comment you think is fine.

Go Gophers!!
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I know he wasn’t fired, but a suspension and investigation will likely lead to it. In my opinion people are too sensitive, this is a prime example. I totally understand what this coach was saying. It is impressive when someone with such twisted views can rally so many people to support them. I took it as this coach would want to have breakfast with him to pick his brain. It’s like saying you’d like to have breakfast with Charles Manson because his ability to get so many followers was impressive. Because the guy was a total nut, how charismatic and persuasive/manipulative must someone be to gain so many followers, when their ideas are so sick? That’s the way I took the coaches comment. And to somehow say something like “he’s idolizing or glorifying a man that killed millions of Jews” is jumping way past what was actually said.
 

I kinda get what he’s saying. But there’s so many other much better examples.
 

Gophers1992 said:
mj - as a general rule, any time you are the only one in a thread holding a certain view, it's probably a good idea to re-examine your thought.
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Not sure what thought I have to re-examine...I wouldn’t have said the same thing this coach said, but I defend his right to say it without being suspended because I think that is a huge over reaction.
 

mjfelton15 said:
I know he wasn’t fired, but a suspension and investigation will likely lead to it. In my opinion people are too sensitive, this is a prime example. I totally understand what this coach was saying. It is impressive when someone with such twisted views can rally so many people to support them. I took it as this coach would want to have breakfast with him to pick his brain. It’s like saying you’d like to have breakfast with Charles Manson because his ability to get so many followers was impressive. Because the guy was a total nut, how charismatic and persuasive/manipulative must someone be to gain so many followers, when their ideas are so sick? That’s the way I took the coaches comment. And to somehow say something like “he’s idolizing or glorifying a man that killed millions of Jews” is jumping way past what was actually said.
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You seem to be arguing with yourself, not sure why. No one in this this thread has said what I bolded. No one. But apparently you put words in mouths to make your point.

Go Gophers!!
 

As an aside... what is "leadership" to this guy?

Just getting power a little while?

Killing lots of people?

Driving a nation into the dirt?
 

Hopefully, a suspension is in order for the Grand Valley State OC.

Over 7 million Germans paid the ultimate price for Hitler's demagogic leadership. Furthermore, 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust.
 
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mjfelton15 said:
you don’t see firing a guy for a comment, that actually isn’t offensive whatsoever, is a little bit of an over reaction? He didn’t praise the extermination of Jews though did he? He said his ability to rally so many to his side was impressive. I’ve heard that comment before from other people, and I don’t think it’s out of line or offensive. People need to not just have thicker skins, but some need to grow some sort of skin altogether it appears
Click to expand...

He could have chosen literally anyone and he elected to go with one of the most hated men in history. And the reason he went with him was not because he wanted to know how he could commit such atrocities but rather because he was impressed by his leadership ability.

We are going to have to agree to disagree on this one because I am not shocked one bit he was suspended and I am actually a little surprised he wasn't just flat out fired. You can feel people are over reacting but the simple reality is that if you bring up Hitler in any sort of positive light, it is not going to go over well with the vast majority of people.

Referring to someone like Hitler as a great leader, no matter how much you try to qualify it first, is just a bad idea.
 

BleedGopher said:
You seem to be arguing with yourself, not sure why. No one in this this thread has said what I bolded. No one. But apparently you put words in mouths to make your point.

Go Gophers!!
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“He had every right to say what he did. And the University had every right to suspend him for it. He is a public figure who publicly made a statement praising the leadership abilities of the man responsible for the extermination of millions of Jews.”
-MNVCGUY
Not arguing with myself. The jump into talking about how he was praising someone that killed millions of Jews was made
 

mjfelton15 said:
“He had every right to say what he did. And the University had every right to suspend him for it. He is a public figure who publicly made a statement praising the leadership abilities of the man responsible for the extermination of millions of Jews.”
-MNVCGUY
Not arguing with myself. The jump into talking about how he was praising someone that killed millions of Jews was made
Click to expand...

What did I say that was wrong? He did in fact praise the leadership abilities of Hitler and Hitler is responsible for the murder of millions of Jews. I in no way said the OC praised Hitler for killing the Jews but when you say something positive about a mass murderer it is unlikely to go over well. Especially when you work for a public University.
 

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