Florida Bar puts employee on leave over racist messages sent to Miami's Damon Wilson II

The Florida Bar has placed an employee on administrative leave while it investigates racist and homophobic messages sent to Miami football player Damon Wilson II.

The Bar identified the employee as Kade McLendon, a computer technician who has worked there for about two years. An account using McLendon's name sent several messages to Wilson after the Hurricanes beat Florida State 43-35 last weekend.

'A glimpse'

Wilson, a defensive lineman who is Black, shared a screenshot of the messages publicly on Sunday. He called it a "glimpse into the life of a black student athlete."

"The messages in question are not only ethically and morally reprehensible but also violate our internal social media policy for employees," the Florida Bar said in a statement Tuesday.

The Bar said it is committed to enforcing its policies while protecting any due process rights as the internal investigation continues.

McLendon could not be reached for comment on Tuesday. It is not clear why the private messages were sent to Wilson.

Teammates rally

Wilson is in his first season at Miami after playing at Georgia and Missouri.

"That's my brother and I embrace him," Miami offensive lineman Ryan Rodriguez said Tuesday. "It's more than a game. That's my brother."

Miami is ranked No. 1 in the nation and hosts Pittsburgh on Saturday.