The Florida Bar said Tuesday it has placed an employee on administrative leave amid an investigation into online comments sent to a Miami football player after the Hurricanes beat Florida State last weekend.
Kade Mc Lendon, who has worked at the Florida Bar for about two years as a computer technician, was identified as the employee. An account using Mc Lendon's name sent a number of messages to Miami's Damon Wilson II after the Hurricanes' 43-35 victory, including several racist and homophobic slurs. Wilson, who is Black, shared a screenshot of the messages publicly Sunday, calling it a "glimpse into the life of a black student athlete."
The Florida Bar said the messages are "ethically and morally reprehensible" and violate its internal social media policy for employees. "As the internal investigation continues, we are committed to enforcing our policies and procedures while making sure that any due process rights are protected," the organization said in its statement. An attempt by The Associated Press to reach Mc Lendon on Tuesday was unsuccessful. It is unclear why the private messages were sent to Wilson, a defensive lineman in his first season at Miami after previously playing at Georgia and Missouri.
Miami offensive lineman Ryan Rodriguez defended his teammate. "That's my brother and I embrace him," Rodriguez said Tuesday. "It's more than a game. That's my brother." Miami, the No. 1-ranked team in the AP Top 25, will next play Saturday at home against Pittsburgh.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing