Florida Politician Offers Puerto Rican Teen $50K To Delete Video

Source: Carol Yepes / Getty

Politician Accused Of Offering Teen $50,000 To Delete Video

A Florida politician is under fire for allegedly telling a Latino tennis player to “cut grass.” Now, more information about the situation is coming out, and he’s being accused of offering the teenager $50,000 to delete the footage from the incident.

It all went down when the 15-year-old was approached by Martin Hyde–who is running for the Sarasota City Commission in Florida–at the Celsius Tennis Academy. According to NBC News, the tennis player received an invitation to participate in the Casely International Championship at the Academy’s Bath & Racquet Club. But when Hyde approached the teen, he reportedly began to throw multiple racist insults his way.

“You’re telling me to cut grass because I’m Hispanic,” the victim says in video. “That’s racism, man. How can you say something like that? Aren’t you human?”

After the story broke, Hyde went on to tell NBC News that he regrets his “boorish and inappropriate behavior,” but he denied reports that he offered him any money to delete the footage.

“I was rude and I regret that. It was a long day and my kids were being disturbed while they were having their lesson, because the boys were being loud,” Hyde told the outlet. “But I simply didn’t say those things, and that’s why they’re not on the video.”

According to the Herald-Tribune, Martin Hyde is considering dropping out of the race because of these allegations. He also thinks he’s being used as “a pawn” in the midst of growing friction between Puerto Rico and the U.S. government…..

*insert “Sure, Jan” gif*