Did UPenn prof call presidential candidate a racial slur?

A now-deleted tweet allegedly sent by a University of Pennsylvania professor calling a black presidential candidate a racial slur is making the rounds on conservative blogs, but the professor at the heart of the issue is not talking.

Prof. Anthea Butler reportedly tweeted “If only there was a ‘coon of the year’ award…’ in response to an article about Carson.

Butler did not respond to requests for comment.

The slur coon has many meanings but can be used as derogatory term for African-Americans or more specifically to mean “sell-out,” according toUrbanDictionary.com.

Carson, a Chicago native and the former director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University hospital, is currently runningfor the Republican nomination for president.

National polls currently show Carson in second place for the nomination, at 17.2 percent to real estate mogul Donald Trump’s 23.2 percent, according toRealClearPolitics.com.

Christian Spencer, a reporter for conservative news site Campus Reform,first wrote about Butler’s tweet, which was in response to an article tweeted out by Daily Beast editor Goldie Taylor.

The post in question onSports Illustrateddescribed comments Carson made to the Associated Press defending the right of NASCAR fans to have Confederate flags.

“If it’s a majority of people in that area who want it to fly, I certainly wouldn’t take it down,” Carson reportedly said of the flag, allegedly prompting Butler’s response.

While Butler has not responded to questions about the tweet, she has posted numerous tweets about the tweet on aTumblr account she operatesto collect “racist tweets,” according to her Twitter bio.