(RALEIGH) - A Wake County man is claiming he was thrown out of a downtown Raleigh sports bar because he is African-American.  Jonathan Wall, 21, and about 20 people, including family members, a representative for the state NAACP, gathered at a news conference outside the State Capitol.

Wall, a graduate of Knightdale High, Morehead College who is bound for Harvard for graduate school, said he and two friends were profiled when they got into the Raleigh Downtown Sports Bar early Sunday morning. The bar is a members-only club.

Wall says a staffer told Vick to buy a drink or leave. Vick noted he was not the only person without a drink, but the only African-American male without a drink.

Within minutes, Wall alleges a staffer for the bar became physical with him.

Upset, Wall found a nearby police officer and complained. He said he didn't file a report, because it was his word against the staffer, and he may have been charged as well. Instead, Wall wrote an angry e-mail about the incident. That email quickly went viral with others claiming they also faced discrimination at the bar.

However, in a statement, an attorney for the Downtown Sports Bar, which is a private club, said the incident has nothing to do with race: "Mr. Wall was not roughed up or improperly treated. Mr. Wall was not the subject of racial discrimination... Mr. Wall was ultimately asked to leave because he was not a member or a guest. Mr. Wall apparently took advantage of a crowded door situation and a distraction to enter the premises after being told by staff that he could not enter..."

Wall is considering a lawsuit.

A march and protest against the bar has been postponed while Wall's supporters wait for "major players" to come to Raleigh to support his cause.