Teammates: Allen used "N-word" in college

Three members of Sen. George Allen's college football team remember a man with racist attitudes at ease using racial slurs.

By Michael Scherer

Sept. 24, 2006 |

WASHINGTON -- 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."

A second white teammate, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he feared retribution from the Allen campaign, separately claimed that Allen used the word "nigger" to describe blacks. "It was so common with George when he was among his white friends. This is the terminology he used," the teammate said.

A third white teammate contacted separately, who also spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of being attacked by the Virginia senator, said he too remembers Allen using the word "nigger," though he said he could not recall a specific conversation in which Allen used the term. "My impression of him was that he was a racist," the third teammate said.

Shelton also told Salon that the future senator gave him the nickname "Wizard," because he shared a last name with Robert Shelton, who served in the 1960s as the imperial wizard of the United Klans of America, a group affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan. The radiologist said he decided earlier this year that he would go public with his concerns about Allen if a reporter ever called. About four months ago, when he heard that Allen was a possible candidate for president in 2008, Shelton began to write down some of the negative memories of his former teammate. He provided Salon excerpts of those notes last week.

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Catherine


hmmmm...wonder how Allen likes this little bit of "swiftboating." Notice how the teammates also mentioned their fear of retribution from Allen's campaign.

God, he really makes me want to puke. Honestly, racism is something I just can't tolerate. Perhaps its because I'm a southerner, but if someone is racist, I usually distance myself as far away from that individual as I can. I don't really see how this punk can claim to have not known the significance of the flag, or calling someone macaca. If he's that stupid then he shouldn't be in office...and if he knows what he was doing, he shouldn't be in office. I just don't understand how voters can look past something like this.

My father was an engineer for the Virginia highway department when Allen was governor. He says the man is dumb as dirt.

That's a REQUIREMENT anymore just to file to run, isn't it?

Er..present company excepted, of course!

Isn't that the recent (last few years) requirement to be elected in public office?

I agree, derrion...a bigot is a bigot is a bigot...and if we tolerate this kind of thing in our leaders just because it happened when they were "young," we cannot whine about their actions after they're elected. My experience with bigots is that they do not change....they just learn how to hide their bigotry better if they think they have to. If they think they don't have to, they're only worse as OLD bigots.

Catherine

I have yet to meet a Conservative that is not a racist. Some are hard core and others like Sean Hannity are closet racist. One might ask why I include Mr Hannity and I say just look at who his friends are. Mark Furman is a racist. Proven in a court of law.

And why can't Condisleeza Rice figure out just what she "really is" to this administration?

Condileeza Rice likes the POWA! She is also in love with her master....and that makes her even more repulsive.

She is truly what "they" have "made" her a NEGRO.

Please look up the word.