Sen. George Allen (R-Virginia) denied using racial slurs to describe African-Americans after the Salon magazine quoted three former college teammates who described him as a racist.

Allen said he never used the "n-word" in his life. "That word was not a part of my vocabulary," he told reporters.

Salon quoted three teammates, two of whom refused to be named out of fear of retaliation from Allen. The Washington Post and The New York Times quoted two acquaintances, including one from the Salon article, who said Allen used the n-word and displayed racist attitudes.

Allen was considered a shoo-in for re-election but his campaign has seriously faltered in recent weeks. He referred to an Indian-American volunteer of his rival, Democrat Jim Webb, as "macaca" in an incident that called into question his 2008 presidential aspirations.

He later blew up at reporter who suggested he may have learned "macaca" from his mother, who grew up in Tunisia, where the word is used to described darker-skinned people. Then he denied his mother was Jewish only to later confirm her roots, a secret she apparently kept hidden from her family.

Allen's father was George Allen, the former coach of the Washington Redskins. Suzan Shown Harjo, one of the activist seeking to cancel the team's trademarks, said Allen used "pejorative remarks" against Natives.

Get the Story:
Allen Denies Using Epithet to Describe Blacks (The Washington Post 9/26)
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2 Ex-Acquaintances of Senator Allen Say He Used Slurs (The New York Times 9/26)
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Teammates: Allen used "N-word" in college (Salon 9/24)

Relevant Links:
Sen. George Allen - http://allen.senate.gov
Friends of George Allen - http://www.georgeallen.com

Related Stories:
Harjo: Sen. 'Macaca' Allen no stranger to racial gaffes