MIAMI – A witness’s video recorded in March and released on Wednesday shows a man yelling racist slurs at former NFL player and Virginia Tech alum Jadon James Gayle in Miami.
Gayle, the director of business development at the Infinity Sports Institute, identified the man as the landlord of his employer’s commercial space at 161 NE 24 St.
Gayle said the man was “very aggressive” and told a Hispanic woman who was near him “to go and eat [expletive]” beans and rice.
“I was very scared, humiliated,” Gayle said on Wednesday. “I didn’t necessarily know what to do because I’ve never been in a situation like that.”
The landlord was upset over a request to test for mold. Since the conflict escalated, Hector Maradiaga, the chief executive officer of Infinity Sports Institute, released a statement on Thursday saying he had retained an attorney to seek legal action.
“It is appalling, disgusting, and hurtful to see one of our team members be treated as such,” Maradiaga said adding the institute’s priority is to create “an inclusive, safe, and private environment” for both clients and employees.
Maradiaga also said that as a minority business owner in Miami, the actions of the landlord were both hurtful and unacceptable.
“We have witnessed this group treat their other tenants with the same disregard and we cannot stand for this. This is not the Miami we are trying to create,” Maradiaga said.
Another witness’s video shows the landlord walking out of the property while holding a sample of the drywall that was supposed to be tested for mold and getting into a Jeep while another man also tried to calm him down.
“I definitely am worried about retaliation,” Gayle said. “I have been worried about retaliation whenever I go to my car. I don’t necessarily know, is he going to do something to me? Is he coming back?”
The property owner refused to comment.