What he said was that he could believe Allen said such a thing. He refused to say that he actually heard him say it. I, too, can believe 10 impossible things before breakfast.
Thanks for a post that makes sense ... I am not exactly crazy about Sabato but doubt he's a fool, which he would have to be to validate any such rumor with first hand witness. It would not only invalidate whatever objectivity he's credited with having in all political matters, it would raise the question, as has been done on this thread, about where he was in '93 and '00.
I can believe any jock, esp in the early 70's, would have used that word .. they still do, including black players. It's just that white guys can't say it. Especially politicians. Especially GOP politicians.