Indianapolis Colts star Darius Leonard said Thursday he was kicked out of a Chipotle restaurant in South Carolina because he is black.
Leonard, who is about to enter his third season with the Colts, said in a video posted to his Instagram that he was “eating with three other black men and a mixed woman” when a white person allegedly told workers that Leonard and his family were “verbally abusing him” and “talking trash” to him.
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Leonard said that he and his group were sitting away from most of the other restaurant patrons. He said the Chipotle manager was being “very disrespectful” to him and threatened to call the police.
“That is being black in the United States right now,” Leonard said in the video. “We don’t even do anything wrong, we go out to eat with his family, we just try to spend some quality time. I can’t even enjoy eating anymore. “
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“We are talking about Black Lives Matter, that a boy looks at us and lies and laughs in our faces as we go out, and the manager … basically kicked us out of Chipotle … that is the white privilege we have” I am talking about There is no no black man who can sit there and eat in peace without being racially outlined. We know that if the manager had called the police at that time, we know what would have happened. “
Leonard added: “We are tired of this.”
“We are tired of it. All whites do not understand what we went through. This is very frustrating. Very frustrating. You don’t feel our damn pain, “he said.
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Chipotle Chief Executive Brian Niccol told various media in a statement that the company was investigating the matter.
“We are currently investigating the incident involving Darius Leonard in Florence, South Carolina. We have a zero tolerance policy for discrimination of any kind and we have suspended our manager while conducting a thorough investigation. I personally contacted Darius and I am committed to ensuring that appropriate steps are taken once the investigation is complete, ”said Niccol.
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The Colts also expressed their support for the linebacker in a statement to Indy Star.
“Darius’s experience demonstrates the struggle that all African Americans and people of color face every day,” the team said in a statement. “It also demonstrates why we need serious action from our government leaders, law enforcement, business, and ordinary Americans to end systemic racism and injustice and continue this important dialogue on how to inspire positive change in our country”.
