OJ McDuffie, ex Dolphins star, says son was called n-word at swanky Florida Keys resort
A well-known luxury resort in the Florida Keys issued an apology Monday to the family of former Miami Dolphins wide receiver O.J. McDuffie after he said his son was called the n-word by other guests there over the weekend and staff did not intervene.
McDuffie’s wife and youngest son, who is 12, were staying at Cheeca Lodge and Spa in Islamorada when two teenage boys on the resort’s beach asked the younger McDuffie, “Hey [n-word], want a banana,” the NFL wide receiver said in a Facebook post Sunday.
McDuffie said his wife, Frances McDuffie, confronted the teens about the racial slur, and they denied saying it.
Frances McDuffie then went to Cheeca security, “and nothing was done,” O.J. McDuffie wrote.
Moments later, the teens’ mother confronted Frances McDuffie and made “a huge scene,” the post reads.
McDuffie said security watched the woman yell at his wife and did nothing to stop it.
“The classy woman my wife is, wanted to punch her in the face. But didn’t because she was setting an example for our son,” McDuffie wrote. “This woman was more concerned about my wife questioning her kids, than the fact that her kids are running around shouting racial slurs to little kids.”
McDuffie, 50, who was not with his family at the time, said in the post that the incident is a sign of the times.
“This is where we are in this country now. It’s been this way, but now it’s more prevalent like when I grew up,” McDuffie wrote. “Racism starts in the home. And, apparently that word is used every day in that household.”
McDuffie, who was not immediately available for comment, said in the post that he and his family will not go back to Cheeca.
“But, that’s probably how they prefer it,” he said.
Cheeca issued a statement apologizing to the McDuffie family and said management is investigating the incident.
“We want to apologize to Mr. McDuffie and his family for the incident that occurred with another guest at our resort. We do not tolerate the type of behavior described and we are currently reviewing the matter,” the statement reads.
McDuffie played in the NFL for eight seasons, all with the Dolphins, where he was a first-round draft pick in 1993. The Penn State graduate led the league in receptions in 1998.
This story was originally published August 17, 2020 at 6:27 PM.
