Florida Bar puts employee on leave over messages to Miami player

The Florida Bar placed employee Kade McLendon on administrative leave while it investigates messages sent to University of Miami football player Damon Wilson II from an account bearing McLendon’s name. The Bar said the messages violated its employee social-media policy and described them as ethically and morally reprehensible. Wilson shared screenshots of the messages publicly on social media. He described them as a glimpse into the life of a Black student athlete. Accounts of the screenshots said the messages included racist and homophobic slurs, imagery invoking slavery and threats of rape, beating and killing Wilson’s family. The messages were attributed to an account using McLendon’s name; the reporting does not independently establish who operated it. The Bar said its internal investigation was ongoing and that it would enforce its policies while protecting due-process rights. A spokesperson said the organization would not go beyond that statement when asked about the investigation and possible disciplinary action. McLendon could not be reached for comment in the reports, and no final finding or employment decision was reported. Wilson, a defensive lineman, shared the...