Kade McLendon

Introduction

Kade McLendon is a Florida Bar computer technician who was placed on administrative leave on October 20, 2026, after racist, homophobic and violently threatening Instagram messages were sent to University of Miami linebacker Damon Wilson II from an account carrying McLendon’s name, following the Hurricanes’ 43-35 double-overtime win over Florida State. The Florida Bar, the organization that regulates the state’s lawyers, announced the leave in a Tuesday statement and said the messages — which included repeated use of the N-word, slavery references and threats to rape and kill members of Wilson’s family — violated its internal social media policy for employees. No criminal charges have been announced against McLendon, and the Bar’s internal investigation is ongoing.

Background Information

McLendon worked as a computer technician for The Florida Bar beginning in June 2024, according to screenshots of his LinkedIn profile taken before the account was shut down, and he graduated from Florida State University — the school Miami beat 43-35 in double overtime on Saturday, October 18, 2026, at Hard Rock Stadium, a win that lifted the Hurricanes to 6-0 and the No. 1 ranking in the AP poll for the first time since 2002. Wilson, the target of the messages, is a senior defensive lineman in his first season at Miami after previous stops at Georgia and Missouri; theGrio reported he recorded nine sacks in the 2025 season with second-team All-SEC honors.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Under investigation, not charged. The messages are allegations: screenshots shared by Wilson and reporting that attributes them to an account in McLendon’s name, which the Florida Bar says it is investigating. McLendon has not been charged with any crime, the Bar has announced no final disciplinary action, and no public statement from McLendon or a defense attorney appears in the coverage to date.

Wilson shared the exchange on his Instagram story on Sunday with the caption “glimpse into the life of a black student athlete.” The screenshots show messages in which the sender used the N-word on a number of occasions, used a homophobic slur, wished that Wilson would be raped, invoked segregation-era treatment by telling him to sit at the back of a bus, called him “farming equipment,” and stated, in one message, “i am going to rape, beat and kill ur family.” The New York Post and CBS12 described the contents from the screenshots; CBS12 noted the account posting them was identified as @damon_w11, Wilson’s own account, where he published what he had received.

The Bar first acknowledged the matter on Monday morning, saying it was aware of messages “possibly sent from an employee’s social media account” and had opened an internal investigation; by Monday night, accounts matching McLendon’s Instagram and LinkedIn had been shut down, the Miami Herald reported. On Tuesday afternoon the organization issued a follow-up statement identifying the employee as Kade McLendon and announcing his administrative leave. “The messages in question are not only ethically and morally reprehensible but also violate our internal social media policy for employees,” the statement said, adding: “As the internal investigation continues, we are committed to enforcing our policies and procedures while making sure that any due process rights are protected.”

Public Reaction and Consequences

Coverage framed the messages as the latest instance of a fan crossing the line from taunting an athlete into personal abuse. theGrio noted two earlier precedents in which fans were fired from their jobs after racist messages to WNBA players Chelsea Gray and Dearica Hamby became public. Miami offensive lineman Ryan Rodriguez told the Associated Press that Wilson is “my brother and I embrace him.” Wilson, who is Black, continued to play for the top-ranked Hurricanes, who are scheduled to face Pittsburgh next. Beyond the Bar’s leave decision, no further employment, sponsorship or law-enforcement consequence for McLendon had been announced in the coverage to date.

Current Status

As of October 20, 2026, McLendon is on administrative leave from The Florida Bar while its internal investigation continues; the organization has announced no final disciplinary decision and has said it intends to protect due process rights. He has not been charged with any crime, and no police investigation or criminal referral has been reported; the matter is being handled as an internal employment investigation. His Instagram and LinkedIn accounts were shut down by Monday night, per the Miami Herald’s report carried by the New York Post, and no public statement from McLendon has appeared.

Impact on Their Career/Life

McLendon’s name attached itself to the story quickly — theGrio reported the Bar confirmed his identity shortly after the screenshots circulated — and a two-year IT career at the state’s bar organization, an FSU degree and a public LinkedIn footprint now sit beside a racism allegation his own employer calls a violation of its social media policy. Whether the leave ends in termination, resignation or exoneration, the case places him in a 2026 run of private citizens who lost jobs or positions over racist messages sent to athletes. For Wilson, the episode became a public statement about the abuse athletes absorb: he published the messages rather than respond to them, and the response — from the Bar, his teammates and the coverage — came down on his side.

Sources

• “Florida Bar suspends employee after racist messages to Miami football player” — New York Post: source
• “Florida Bar staffer on leave for alleged racist, homophobic texts to UM football player” — CBS12: source
• “Florida Bar IT employee on leave after racist messages to Damon Wilson” — theGrio: source
• “Florida Bar employee suspended for allegedly sending racist, homophobic DMs to Miami player after Hurricanes win over Seminoles” — Yahoo Sports: source
• “Florida Bar suspends employee after racist messages to Miami football player” — New York Post on X: source