Colts' Leonard says he was racially profiled at Chipotle in South Carolina
Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard says he was racially profiled and kicked out of a Chipotle in South Carolina on Thursday.
The Pro Bowler shared his story on Instagram.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Darius Shaquille Leonard (@mr_highflyer10) on Jun 25, 2020 at 1:52pm PDT
Leonard said he was sitting with three other Black men and a mixed woman when the manager of the restaurant told them a white customer said Leonard and his companions were "verbally abusing" and "talking trash" to him. Leonard called those claims a lie.
"We basically got kicked out of Chipotle because of that, and they said they (were) going to call the police. ... That's what being Black in America is right now," Leonard said. "Us not even doing anything wrong, going out to eat with your family, just trying to spend a little bit of quality time. Can't even enjoy eating anymore."
Leonard added that he watched the customer who made the accusations "laugh in our faces" as the group walked out.
"That's the white privilege that we're talking about," the 24-year-old said. He added: "We know that if that manager would have called the cops right then and there, we know what would have went down."
Chipotle has suspended the manager and is currently investigating the incident, CEO Brian Niccol said in a statement to Jim Ayello of the Indianapolis Star.
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