A deal has been reached by the San Francisco 49ers, the Baltimore Ravens and the Philadelphia Eagles that will send Terrell Owens to Philly. This hours before the NFL's special master was set to issue a ruling on whether or not the trade that sent the former 49ers wide-out to Baltimore in exchange for a second-round pick was valid. Owens claimed he was due free agency, despite his agent having failed to file the proper paperwork before the deadline. Sal Palantonio, who was covering the case for SportsCenter, said last night that it appeared as if the ruling would go in Owens favor, hence the deal. The deal guarantees the Ravens a fifth-round pick for their troubles and sends a defensive end to the 49ers in exchange for Owens. Had a ruling in Owens favor been issued before the deal, the Ravens and 49ers would have received no compensation.This whole thing seems pretty crooked to me. Heading into this weekend you couldn't find a soul who thought Owens had any kind of chance at the hearing. Then the hearing was delayed, ostensibly so that both sides could appear in person, rather than the conference call that was slated for Sunday. By Tuesday the conventional wisdom is that Owens will win and the Ravens and 49ers scramble to finalize a deal ensuring that they'll get something out of this mess.
Crooked or not, Baltimore dodged a bullet by failing to secure Owens. And after having suffered through the past week, which included Owens telling anybody with a laptop that he's not coming to Baltimore, they probably are breathing a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, Philly has the Leon they've always wanted.
Speaking of Philly, here's what Philadelphia 76er Allen Iverson had to say about his decision not to dress for a recent game. Iverson had been injured and missed several games in a row. He was not cleared by trainers for Sunday's game, but said he could play. When the coach told Iverson that he'd be coming off the bench because of his injuries, Iverson felt otherwise.:
"I'm a starter. I've been a starter here for eight years. I'm not a sixth man," Iverson said after the game [Sunday]. "I'm a starter. I know in this league ... if someone comes back from an injury, if he's a starter he starts. What's the difference? If you're going to cut my time down, cut my time down. It doesn't make any difference. I'm a starter."
Tony
