(CNN) A Michigan football coach was suspended after he said he'd have dinner with Adolf Hitler and praised the Nazi dictator's leadership in an interview with a college newspaper.

Morris Berger was hired as Grand Valley State University's football offense coordinator on January 20. Three days later, he gave an interview to the Grand Valley Lanthorn, the university's student newspaper.

In most of the Q&A with the Lanthorn's sports editor, Berger discussed his coaching background and love of football.

But then the student editor asked him which historical figures he'd like to have dinner with, and Berger chose a controversial one.

"This is probably not going to get a good review, but I'm going to say Adolf Hitler," Berger told the sports editor. "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."

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