Greenwich football players called out for “Hitler” play

The Greenwich High School Cardinal logo can be seen in the center of the field at the high school's Cardinal Stadium, Conn The Greenwich High School Cardinal logo can be seen in the center of the field at the high school's Cardinal Stadium, Conn Photo: Bob Luckey Jr. / Hearst Connecticut Media Buy photo Photo: Bob Luckey Jr. / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Greenwich football players called out for “Hitler” play 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

A Trumbull mom couldn’t believe what she heard when her son’s freshman football team played Greenwich Thursday — players charged onto the field shouting “Hitler.”

The war cry was in reference to a play they were about to execute. The signal for the play is an index finger laid across the upper lip.

“My grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins perished at the hands of Hitler,” Debbie Levison said on Friday. “My father and mother suffered unspeakable atrocities during the Holocaust. So yes, I’m outraged.”

Levison said her son came off the field visibly angered. When he told her why, she approached some Greenwich players after the game to make sure he had heard correctly. They told her to talk to the coach, which she did.

“Coach James Briggs looked me in the eye and confirmed that they do indeed use a play called Hitler,” Levison said. “I repeated it back to him twice to verify that we were being utterly accurate.”

Levinson said he didn’t even look abashed.

The play apparently is not something that started this year. It has reportedly been used for years, as has a play called “the Stalin,” according to several sources, including officials from the Anti-Defamation League, who met with GHS players and coaches Friday.

Levison said she can’t understand why other adults who heard it in the past didn’t think to object.

Selectman Drew Marzullo said Friday it doesn’t matter if the play has been used “for two minutes or two years.”

“It represents a failure of some to impart the gravity that words such as this one represent evil and should never be spoken in jest on the ball field,” he said.

A letter of apology from Headmaster Chris Winters was posted Friday afternoon on the district website to both the Greenwich and Trumbull communities “for this admittedly offensive practice.”

“This practice has been stopped,” Winters said in the message, which reportedly is also being sent home to Greenwich High School parents.

Greenwich school officials also reached out to the local Jewish community to express their apology.

Rabbi Mitchell M. Hurvitz of Temple Sholom on Friday referred to the high school’s Athletic Code of Conduct, which sets appropriate behaviors for student athletes to follow. They include: providing a positive image; respecting the rights of opponents and spectators; representing team, school and town with dignity.

“This incident was an overt failure of the Code of Conduct,” he said.

But Hurvitz applauded Winters for being “extremely proactive” in responding to the problem, including by reaching out to the Anti-Defamation League.

“We should accept Chris’ apology on behalf of the Greenwich community,” Hurvitz said. “And, we should follow up our remorse with a renewed collective dedication to assure that we all are leading lives consistent to our own dedication to living up to our potential goodness as human beings.”

Steve Ginsburg, executive director of the Connecticut ADL, said he views the use of Hitler’s name as a teaching moment.

“This is a situation where education is needed,” Ginsburg said. “There was a lack of understanding. This is not a situation where there was any intent to intimidate, or anti-Semitism or anything like that.”

Ginsburg said the ADL works with a lot of schools around the state.

“Nobody takes the work we do more seriously than Greenwich High School,” he said.

Greenwich Reform Synagogue Rabbi Andrew Sklarz said it is the responsibility of adults, including coaches, to educate young people about events like the Holocaust that happened so many years before they were born.

“Anything like this is disheartening,” Sklarz said. “On Yom Kippur I talked about the death of Eli Wiesel and how important it is to remember what happened to six million Jews and countless others. It’s a story that needs to be retold and passed down through the generations because if you don’t people start to forget and don’t feel the full impact.

“Anything that aims to either glamorize or use something as horrible as Hitler or the Holocaust as an icon is just disheartening,” he said. “That’s something we can’t accept in sports or from students who are supposed to be leaders in the community.”

Levison said she received calls from the headmaster and athletic director apologizing and said they seemed sincere.

“I am not out to punish anyone or embarrass anyone, but rather educate,” Levison said. “I think this is symptomatic of the general blurring of lines in our country of what is right and what is wrong.”

Thursday’s game was played one day after Yom Kippur, the most holy day on the Jewish calendar.

“This isn’t about me as a Jew speaking out because I happen to have a sensitive context,” she said. “I would hope that every educator and every parent in Greenwich who hears about it is equally appalled. I hope that they say with a clear voice that they will not condone it.”