Florida Bar Fires Employee Over Racist Messages to Miami Football Player

The Florida Bar has fired an employee who sent racist and homophobic slurs in direct messages to Miami Hurricanes football player Damon Wilson II.

Kade McLendon, who had been employed by The Florida Bar as a computer technician for approximately two years, was terminated on Wednesday. The messages were sent from an account using McLendon's name to Wilson following the Hurricanes' victory over Florida State last weekend.

Wilson, a Black student-athlete, shared a screenshot of the messages on social media Sunday, describing them as a "glimpse into the life of a black student athlete." The Florida Bar confirmed on Tuesday that it had launched an investigation into McLendon.

In a statement released Wednesday, The Florida Bar stated that the messages were "reprehensible and inconsistent with the mission, values, and policies of The Florida Bar." While McLendon reportedly denied sending the messages, he did not provide sufficient evidence to convince The Florida Bar that his Instagram account had been compromised. The Bar consequently terminated his employment.

An attempt by the Associated Press to reach McLendon for comment was unsuccessful. The motive behind the private messages to Wilson, who is in his first season with the Miami Hurricanes after transferring from Georgia and Missouri, remains unclear.

Wilson's teammate, Miami offensive lineman Ryan Rodriguez, expressed solidarity with Wilson on Tuesday, stating, "That’s my brother and I embrace him. It’s more than a game. That’s my brother."

Miami, currently ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25, is scheduled to play Pittsburgh at home on Saturday.