Florida Bar Suspends Worker Over Harassment of Miami Football Player

Investigation Follows Abusive Online Messages

The Florida Bar announced on Tuesday that it placed an employee on administrative leave while conducting an internal investigation. The inquiry centers on online comments sent to a Miami football player following the Hurricanes' victory over Florida State.

The employee was identified as Kade McLendon. McLendon has worked as a computer technician for the Florida Bar for about two years. An account under McLendon's name sent messages to Miami's Damon Wilson II after the Hurricanes finished a 43-35 win against Florida State. The messages sent to Wilson included several racist and homophobic slurs.

Locker Room Rallies Around Wilson

Wilson, who is Black, made the messages public on Sunday by sharing a screenshot of the exchange. He called the slurs a "glimpse into the life of a black student athlete." Wilson is in his first season playing for Miami after previously spending time at Georgia and Missouri. It is not clear why the private messages were directed to him.

The Florida Bar addressed the matter in a statement. The organization said that "the messages in question are not only ethically and morally reprehensible but also violate our internal social media policy for employees." The Bar added that while the investigation continues, it will enforce its policies while making sure due process rights are protected.

Inside the Miami program, players quickly offered their support. Offensive lineman Ryan Rodriguez spoke on Tuesday about standing by his teammate. "That's my brother and I embrace him," Rodriguez said. "It's more than a game. That's my brother."

What it means for the next game

Miami holds the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 rankings. The team now turns its attention to this weekend's home matchup against Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Panthers at Miami Hurricanes (College Football, Sat, 24 Oct): Miami Hurricanes win 90%, Pittsburgh Panthers win 10%; projected score Miami Hurricanes 36, Pittsburgh Panthers 16. Our safest pick: Over 40.5 points.