Marrow attorney speaks on legal issues

Fewer than 10 people attended a talk given by Mitch Marrow's attorney, Arthur Marion, on campus last night -- indicating that the eligibility controversy that forced Penn to forfeit nearly all of the football team's wins in 1997 may now rest as water under the bridge. The Phi Alpha Delta pre-law fraternity sponsored the visit by Marion, whose speech in Vance Hall addressed other Penn-related cases he is handling as well as general topics about a career in law. College freshman Daniel Swerdlin, the group's vice president, introduced Marion as "one of the most prominent lawyers in Philadelphia." The case involving Marrow, a fifth-year College senior and all-Ivy defensive tackle, ended last month with the National Collegiate Athletic Association's approval of Penn's decision to forfeit the games in which Marrow played as an ineligible part-time student. Marion described the forfeits, which dropped the team's record from 6-4 to 1-9, as "fair." The Philadelphia attorney blasted The Daily Pennsylvanian's coverage of the case, stressing that the case itself is "the kind of thing that should have been handled internally without press." While contending that the athletic controversy was unintentional on the part of both Marrow and the University, Marion agreed with Penn's assessment that the pro prospect "should have been aware of how many credits he had." But Marion also blamed Associate Athletic Director Denis Elton Cochran-Fikes for "slipping" by failing to alert Marrow of his part-time status. Marrow himself made a similar criticism in December. Marion added that the removal of Marrow's all-Ivy status was not fair. "I think the penalty was great enough," he said. "Mitch feels responsible for the failures." But Marion, hesitant to discuss the particulars of the case, referred to it as a "non-issue," and explored several other topics with students. The attorney, a Philadelphia assistant district attorney from 1960-65, spoke extensively about the other Penn-related cases he is involved in. He is the attorney for a University student accused of raping another student in November 1994, a case which is sitting in federal court and may go to trial in June. Marion also spoke about his firm and gave tips on pursuing a career in law.

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