IT employee at The Florida Bar placed on leave after sending racist text messages to University of Miami football player

Damon Wilson II, a senior football player for the Hurricanes, shared the racist exchange on social media with the caption: “glimpse into the life of a black student athlete.”

The Florida Bar, the unified bar organization for the state of Florida, has placed an IT employee on administrative leave as part of an investigation into allegations that he sent racist text messages and threats to a University of Miami football player following their game vs. Florida State on Saturday.

Kade McLendon is accused of sending threats to Damon Wilson II. Wilson shared his exchange with McLendon on social media shortly after the Hurricanes’ double overtime victory vs. their rival. The organization confirmed McLendon’s identity shortly after the messages were posted online.

In a statement, the Bar condemned the messages and said that McLendon had violated its employee social media policy.

“The Florida Bar has put employee Kade McLendon on administrative leave while the investigation is ongoing,” the statement reads. “The messages in question are not only ethically and morally reprehensible but also violate our 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.”

According to the report, McLendon is a graduate of Florida State. His LinkedIn profile listed him as a computer technician at The Florida Bar since 2024. Following Miami’s win on Saturday, Wilson shared the screenshot of the message sent to him with the caption, “Glimpse into the life of a black student athlete.”

McLendon allegedly used the N-word repeatedly in his messages to Wilson, while threatening to sexually assault him, threats to beat and kill members of his family and used a homophobic slur in several of the messages.

The game ended in controversy when a Hail Mary attempt from Florida State, which would have given the Seminoles a chance to tie the game, was negated by a holding call that coach Mike Novell called a “joke.” Miami would go on to win the game 43-35. The win put the Hurricanes at 6-0, leading the Associated Press to rank them No. 1 in the AP poll as the top team in college football for the first time since the 2002 season.

Wilson, a senior defensive lineman, previously played at Georgia and Missouri before joining the Hurricanes. He recorded nine sacks in the 2025 season, earning him second-team All-SEC honors.

Students and teammates backed Wilson in the latest instance of a fan going too far with an athlete following a game. Earlier this year, a fan was fired from their job after calling WNBA star Chelsea Gray the N-word after a foul on Caitlin Clark. In a separate incident, a fan was fired from their job after it was discovered they sent several racist messages to WNBA player Dearica Hamby.