The Florida Bar has terminated an employee who has been accused of sending racist direct messages on Instagram to a University of Miami player.
The bar released a statement explaining their actions after concluding an internal investigation into the former employee that reads:
The Florida Bar has concluded its internal investigation into the direct messages sent from Kade McLendon’s Instagram account to Damon Wilson. Those messages were reprehensible and inconsistent with the mission, values, and policies of The Florida Bar. While McClendon denies sending the messages, he did not provide evidence sufficient to demonstrate to The Florida Bar’s satisfaction that his Instagram account had been compromised. As of today, The Florida Bar has terminated McClendon’s employment.
The incident started after UM won a match against the Florida State Seminoles, leading to derogatory messages being sent to University of Miami defensive lineman Damon Wilson II by McLendon.
The messages included use of the N-word and a gay slur multiple times, as well as references to slavery, rape and violence against the player and his family.
Wilson took screenshots of the message and published them online, spreading awareness about the issue.
The player’s teammates and other students at the university stood in solidarity with Wilson following the disturbing messages.
