Teammates: Allen used "N-word" in college (Salon accuses Allen)

Salon ^ | September 24 | Salon

[ShinerBock]

Salon published an article today in which there former teammates of George Allen from the football team of the University of Virginia accuse him of using the "n-word" in college and of stuffing the severed head of a deer into the mailbox of a black person.

Three former college football teammates of Sen. George Allen say that the Virginia Republican repeatedly used an inflammatory racial epithet and demonstrated racist attitudes toward blacks during the early 1970s.

Allen said he came to Virginia because he wanted to play football in a place where 'blacks knew their place,'" said Dr. Ken Shelton, a white radiologist in North Carolina who played tight end for the University of Virginia football team when Allen was quarterback. "He used the N-word on a regular basis back then.

The views of these three are highlighted throughout the article, and they are given a sympathetic hearing. But Salon's own article betrays the bias with which the piece was written.

Over the past week, Salon has interviewed 19 former teammates and college friends of Allen from the University of Virginia. In addition to the three who said Allen used the word "nigger," two others who were contacted said they remember being bothered by Allen's displaying the Confederate flag in college, but said they do not remember him acting in an overtly racist manner. Seven others said they did not know Allen well outside the football team, but do not remember Allen demonstrating any racist feelings. A separate seven teammates and friends said they knew Allen well and did not believe he held racist views. "I don't believe he was insensitive," said Paul Ryczek, who played center in Allen's year before joining the Atlanta Falcons. "He had no prejudices, biases or anything else."

So let's get the numbers straight: three former teammates--some who have contributed to Democrats--say that he racist while SEVEN say for sure that he's not racist. That means that more than twice as many people say definitively that he's not a racist than those that say that he is one. Regardless, the views of the three are given much more weight than the views of the seven.

Something doesn't seem quite right with that, does it? This story has all the credibility of a Dan Rather report on Bush's National Guard service.

[defconw]

That should have been inability to filter his thoughts.

[gcruse]

Let's see.
You've got your F word, your N word, your C word....
Hey!
We're on our way to spelling
France!

[Larry Lucido]

Or a Dear John Deer letter.

[Alex721]

The final nail is in the coffin of Allen's White House chances. You can't have this kind of racial baggage and run for president in 2008 (unless you're a Democrat). I think his chances are 50/50 of keeping his Senate seat.

[BLS]

"I can tell you without question that the "N word" was absolutely unacceptable 30 years ago. Probably considered even more offensive then than today. I was in college in Virginia then"


But is it really fair to hold something someone may or may not have said 30 years ago against them? I mean I wouldn't care if the subject in question was Hillary herself, it wouldn't be right.

[Darnright]

>The thing that bugs me is, it's not any one thing with Allen, it's like watching a slow motion train wreck. Just little things that are not making for a good picture.<

If you're in Virginia, you should know that the Democrats are floating a very, very flawed candidate. Come on, they are actually running ads of the Anti-Democrat, the most hated, feared Republican next to Dubya, Ronald Reagan, praising their man!

This man, Jim Webb, is on record as being dead set against women in the military. Think of this in terms of a modern day Democratic candidate. This guy should be run out of town by the Dems, not feted as the best thing since FDR!!!

Constant, vicious attacks on George Allen, a very popular Senator, who has, in the past, gotten a respectable percentage of the vote, are the only thing the Democrats have in their arsenal.

And, they are desperate to "take back the Senate". They have targeted the big guns on George Allen, as they've tasted blood, and it is driving them mad.

[Darnright]

>All of it cloaked under layers and layers of "plausible deniability" so that Webb doesn't get his hands publicly dirty.<

He's paying his bloggers at RaisingKaine.

[Alex721]

Allen has collapsed on Tradesports concerning the Republican field for 2008.

McCain: 40
Rudy: 18
Romney: 15
Huckabee: 7
Allen: 5

http://tradesports.com/aav2/trading/tradingHTML.jsp?eventSelect=coupon_32&evID=coupon_32&updateList=true&showExpired=false#

[Chesterbelloc]

Welcome to Free Republic.

[Alex721]

Thanks!

[6SJ7]

...and of stuffing the severed head of a deer into the mailbox...

It would have to be a very small deer or a very large mailbox. Why am I reminded of the so called koran flushing incident... hmmm. Perhaps because that too was a fraudulent report.

[Riverman94610]

"Especially those who bought Captain and Tennile's Muskrat Love"
Well,call me stupid then cause I DID buy the song,dammit!I thought it had a pretty tune albiet dumb lyrics.
Next thing you know you will be hating on me for liking Afternoon Delight and Silly Love Songs,both of which are in my library!

[Darnright]

This is the kind of bovine scat coming out of the Webbies and the Democrat party:

ALLEN'S LIGHTNING BOLTS

Hitler_youth_drum According to the Washington Post (12/31/95): "Part of Allen's challenge has been to balance his outsider instincts with the demands of governing. On occasion his brash, unvarnished style left him estranged from the political and corporate establishment. Even some friends complain that Allen relies too much on a narrow circle of thirtysomething advisors who call themselves the "A-Team" -- complete with T-shirts and lightning-bolt lapel pins."

What does the Anti-Defimation League have to say about this symbol?

"The symbol is frequently seen in neo-Nazi tattoos and graffiti and characterizes the beliefs of neo-Nazis and racist skinheads – violence, anti-Semitism, white supremacy and fascism."

[Vn_survivor_67-68]

It makes for some good material that the media loves to use to tear down people,

OJ Simpson got away with double murder because one of the best cops in America used the word occasionally....

[zarf]

This should be entertaining. Ol' marshmallow Allen will be groveling for forgiveness for at least another month.The South Park guys need to do an episode on ol' marshmallow.

[Auntie Dem]

Note that lefties will never call this story "swiftboating."

That's because Swiftboating is telling the truth, whereas liberal Race-baiting is telling LIES.

BTW, how many of the staff of Salon have used the derisive epithet "Honkey" frequently in their lives. (Answer--ALL of them)

[CharlesWayneCT]

I'm trying also to figure out how a close-knit black community has no remembrance of a deer head showing up in a mailbox.

[CharlesWayneCT]

Also, all three who said he used the "n-word" were white. None of the 4 black teammates could be reached, apparently. One of them refused to comment.


There IS a difference, when talking 30 years ago, between calling someone the n-word, and using it in conversations with other white people. I'm not excusing it, just saying it's different.

On the deer story -- it's the ONLY accusation that has both a named accuser, AND a named person who could confirm the story. Except that the third person happened to have died earlier this year.

I think that explains why this guy is coming out now -- because nobody can refute his claim. Without the "deer" story, this entire article is "3 white guys say they heard a white guy say the n-word 30 years ago, 17 others can't imagine that is true."

[LWalk18]

There IS a difference, when talking 30 years ago, between calling someone the n-word, and using it in conversations with other white people. I'm not excusing it, just saying it's different.

How is it different? I would say it may even be worse- I would have someone call me the n-word to my face than behind my back.

Let's wait to see if it is true or not. If it is true, he needs to admit it quickly and state clearly that he thinks differently today. If it isn't true he needs to get to the bottom of who is spreading these lies. Either way he needs to address this quickly. Certainly the deer incident should be easy to prove or disprove- if I found a dead deer in my mailbox I would certainly remember. Either that happened or it didn't.

[Alex721]

"Either that happened or it didn't."

Exactly. It's interesting to see how so many usually logical and rational conservatives are doing mental gymnastics in order to repudiate the sum of the racially-tinged charges made against Allen. It's probably due to the whole "Allen's the new Reagan" meme that got going last year, which was never true anyway, and a lot of conservatives are still clinging to the mirage of a revived Reaganism under Allen. I never understood the comparison myself. There was only one Reagan. The closest thing to him in the GOP today is probably Gov. Sanford of South Carolina, and he's ruled out a 2008 bid. So we're left with Rudy, Romney, McCain, maybe Newt to choose from.