Florida Bar employee on leave as Bar looks into racist DMs to Canes lineman

A Florida Bar employee has been put on administrative leave during the Bar’s investigation into racist direct messages from the employee’s Instagram account to a University of Miami football player, the Bar announced Tuesday.

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The DMs from Bar employee Kade McLendon’s account to Hurricanes defensive lineman Damon Wilson II included rape imagery, violent slavery imagery, three uses of the N-word and two uses of a homophobic slur.

“The messages in question are not only ethically and morally reprehensible, but also violate our internal social media policy for employees,” the email from a Bar spokesperson said. “As the internal investigation continues, we are committed to enforcing our policies and procedures while making sure that any due process rights are protected.”

Asked about the investigation and possible punitive action Monday, a Florida Bar spokesperson wouldn’t go beyond the organization’s statement that an investigation was in progress.

McLendon could not be reached for comment. His Instagram account and his LinkedIn accounts were shut down by Monday evening. Before that, however, several social media users took screenshots of his LinkedIn account that said he has been a computer technician at the Florida Bar since June 2024 and is a Florida State graduate.

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Saturday night, the Hurricanes outlasted Florida State, 43-35, the double overtime game adding another epic episode to the rivalry.

In the 12 messages that Wilson appeared to have displayed on his Instagram stories, Wilson was called a “cotton picking” N-word, told “I hope my great grand daddy beat urs so hard” and was referred to as “farming equipment.”

Other messages wished painful rape upon Wilson because he “can’t play ball” and said “I am going to rape, beat and kill ur family.”

Wilson transferred to UM this season from Missouri, where he’d been a second team All-Southeastern Conference defensive lineman last season. He started his college career at Georgia after graduating from Venice High School.

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Miami Herald staff writer Jordan McPherson contributed reporting.

This story was originally published October 19, 2026 at 8:45 PM.