College football player Damon Wilson II has put racism in the spotlight after sharing alleged racist direct messages from a man identified as Kade McLendon. The messages have sparked outrage and renewed conversations about the abuse Black athletes face online.
Apparently, some people still believe the internet is a magical place where they can say whatever they want without consequences. Spoiler alert: screenshots exist, and the delete button cannot always save you.
Wilson, a talented college football player, brought attention to the alleged messages by sharing them publicly. The move allowed people to see the kind of abuse that athletes can receive away from the stadium.
Look at what our players have to deal with fuck that racist peace of shit pic.twitter.com/MfGg3qVtku
— TX Cane 🧡💚🙌🏾🇭🇹 (@Canescartel21) October 18, 2026
Players spend hours training, studying plays, and preparing their bodies for competition. They deal with coaches, demanding schedules, and thousands of fans who suddenly become football experts every Saturday. Apparently, that is not enough. Some also have to deal with strangers sending racist messages from behind a screen.
Racist little pencil neck FSU squid pic.twitter.com/EWAqwgrpT2
— AJ 🙌🏻🟠🟢 (@ajm_12__) October 18, 2026
What a wonderful use of modern technology.
Social media has made it easier for athletes to connect with fans. It has also made it easier for people to send hateful messages directly to their phones. A person can be enjoying a normal day and suddenly receive abuse from someone they have never met.
@TheFlaBar come get your racist employee pic.twitter.com/2TWwHDpJyD
— 🙌🏾 (@thejlaura) October 18, 2026
And for what? A football game? A personal grudge? Or simply because someone thinks racism is an acceptable way to communicate?
There is no reasonable excuse for racist abuse. Supporting a rival team does not give anyone permission to attack another person’s race. Trash talk is part of sports culture, but there is a clear difference between joking about a missed tackle and sending racist messages.
The wider issue, however, remains important. Black athletes should be able to compete without being targeted by racist abuse. Their performance should be the focus, not their race.
College sports are supposed to bring people together through competition, teamwork, and school pride. Instead, incidents like this remind everyone that racism has not disappeared simply because people now carry smartphones.
If someone needs racial insults to make a point about football, perhaps the problem is not the athlete on the field.
Perhaps it is time to log off, rethink those life choices, and learn some basic respect.
