A New Jersey sports official is apologizing for telling student athletes that Adolf Hitler was a "good leader" with "bad moral character and intentions."

Nutley High School athletic director Joe Piro made the remark while addressing Madison High School students Saturday during an assembly aimed at promoting positive leadership.

Piro tells NJ.com he was trying to make a point that "a leader could have strong leadership skills that influence people in a negative way." He says he understands "Hitler was an evil man who used his skills in a horrific manner."

The district's superintendent said in a letter sent to parents that the speaker's presentation was "unnecessarily provocative and insensitive."

Piro showed a photo of Hitler as part of a side-by-side comparison with Martin Luther King Jr.

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Information from: NJ.com, http://www.nj.com