Indianapolis Colts star linebacker Darius Leonard says he was kicked out of a Chipotle in South Carolina on Thursday and according to Leonard, race had a lot to do with it.
The 24-year-old said in an Instagram post that he was eating with “three other Black guys and a mixed woman” away from most of the rest of the restaurant patrons when a white customer complained to management that Leonard and his family were “verbally abusing him” and “talking trash to him.”
Leonard denied all accusations and added that the manager approached his table with a “terrible attitude” and was “very disrespectful” and eventually kicked them out after threatening to call the police.
In a statement provided to IndyStar, Brian Niccol, Chairman and CEO of Chipotle, said:
“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 we conduct a thorough investigation. I’ve personally reached out to Darius and I’m committed to ensuring the appropriate action is taken once the investigation concludes.”