Terrell Owens fever hit Penn's campus on Monday, as the All-Pro wide receiver's arbitration hearing was held in the Penn Law School building with Stephen Burbank -- the David Berger Professor for the Administration of Justice at Penn Law -- overseeing the hearing.
While news of the vibrant San Francisco 49er joining the Eagles' squad has kept Philadelphia buzzing for months, the noise reached a climax earlier this month when the NFL approved a trade that sent Owens to the Baltimore Ravens for a second-round pick.
This was especially painful for Philadelphia fans because it was reported that the Eagles had worked out a contract with Owens prior to the Baltimore trade that included a $10 million signing bonus.
Controversy ensued -- Owens claimed he was a free agent and therefore could not be traded, but the league retorted by saying that David Joseph, Owens' agent, missed the filing deadline to void the final years of Owens' contract that would have made him eligible for free agency.
The players association filed a grievance for Owens, and the arbitration hearing was subsequently scheduled.
The hearing was held in Burbank's office outside Silverman Hall.
Burbank, who was named Special Master of the NFL upon the joint recommendation of the NFL Players Association and the NFL Management Council in 2002, handles certain disputes between the league and the players union under the new collective bargaining agreement.
While Burbank heard both sides argue their respective cases for hours, he did not need to make a choice -- the three teams reached a settlement hours before Burbank's scheduled decision yesterday.
A three-way trade was arranged that sent Owens to Philadelphia, Eagles defensive end Brandon Whiting to the 49ers and an Eagles fifth-round draft pick to Baltimore.
Though Burbank had no impact on the settlement, his name has been dropped in news articles across the nation, bringing positive attention to Penn Law.
"Press of this nature is always very positive," said Joan Rose, assistant dean for Public Relations and Communications at Penn Law. Burbank "has been mentioned coast to coast, national news and overseas. ... He's definitely taking it in stride."
About 25 people from various national news media outlets were camped on 34th Street waiting for the hearing to end, including representatives from The Washington Post, Baltimore Sun and ESPN.
Jeffrey Kessler, representative of the players association, had nothing but good words for Burbank outside Silverman Hall.
"The Special Master was very well prepared," he said. "He gave everyone an opportunity to argue their case."
Penn Law students also waited outside to hear the statements of those involved in the arbitration.
"We're here as fans," Penn Law student George Varghese said.
While Varghese said he thought it was strange that the hearing was hosted in Philadelphia with the Eagles as an interested party, he said that it was fun to take part.
"It's great exposure for the Law School," he said. "We have become Eagles fans. ... I think it's great that they are hosting it here."
After the settlement, Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said in a press release that he thought the March 4 trade for Owens was "in good faith" and that he had a "valid contract with" Owens.
Neither Burbank nor Penn Law commented on the case since Burbank did not end up making a decision.
