The Florida Bar fired a computer technician on Wednesday after racist and threatening messages aimed at University of Miami defensive lineman Damon Wilson II were traced to the employee’s Instagram account.
The employee, identified as Kade McClendon, had denied sending the messages. The Florida Bar placed him on administrative leave Tuesday before dismissing him following an internal investigation.
“Those messages were reprehensible and inconsistent with the mission, values, and policies of The Florida Bar,” the organization said in a statement. “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.”
Wilson shared a screenshot of the messages on his Instagram Story over the weekend, following Miami’s 43-35 win over Florida State on Saturday night. He captioned the post, “Glimpse into the life of a black student athlete.”
The screenshot showed 12 messages containing racist and homophobic slurs, references to slavery, and threats of sexual violence. Among them were three uses of a racial slur and two uses of a homophobic slur. One message called Wilson a “cotton picking” slur, while another referenced his ancestry with a message that read, “I hope my great grand daddy beat urs so hard.” A separate message referred to him as “farming equipment.”
Other messages targeted Wilson’s play on the field, including one that wished sexual violence on him because he “can’t play ball,” and another that threatened his family, stating, “I am going to rape, beat and kill ur family.”
After Wilson’s post circulated online, social media users identified a LinkedIn profile for McClendon listing him as a computer technician who had worked at the Florida Bar since 2024 and as a graduate of Florida State University. His social media accounts were no longer accessible by Monday.
The Florida Bar confirmed Tuesday that it had placed the employee on administrative leave pending its review, before announcing his termination two days later.
