Rams Let Carson Go Despite Robinson’s Wishes
The Rams need an inside linebacker to replace the injured Jim Collins, but the front office apparently has overridden the wishes of Coach John Robinson and sent Howard Carson on his way.
Carson’s agent, John Marchiano, believes the reason may be spite because his client left the Rams as a free agent after the 1983 season to become a starter for the Los Angeles Express of the United States Football League.
Carson and Marchiano were on the sidelines during the Rams’ Friday afternoon practice at Cal State Fullerton. They said Robinson had indicated on the phone to Carson in Austin, Tex., last week that he would like to have him back, then called back 10 minutes later to “put it on hold.”
The Rams retained Carson’s National Football League rights but, according to Carson and Marchiano, have refused to offer him a contract or release him to negotiate with another NFL team.
Marchiano said he was considering going to court because “you can’t prevent a guy from making a living.”
However, Robinson said after the practice that the Rams had released their rights to Carson.
“The Rams have decided not to negotiate with Howard and have given him permission to talk to other teams,” Robinson said. “Anything else you’ll have to get from other reliable sources (at) Pico.”
The reference was to the Rams’ West Los Angeles office, where vice president John Shaw and general counsel Jay Zygmunt are based.
Zygmunt was at Friday’s practice and spoke briefly to Marchiano, then to Robinson, then got into his black sports car at a corner of the field and drove away, so he apparently did not tell Marchiano that Carson had been released.
Meanwhile, Marchiano was telling reporters that Carson hadn’t been released to talk to other teams.
However, Zygmunt later said that he had told Marchiano “early on in the afternoon” that Carson would be released.
Zygmunt later issued a statement through the Rams’ public relations department: “Carson is free to negotiate with other teams at this time.”
Robinson was left on the spot.
“Well, we feel like we have a problem at linebacker, with Jimmy Collins hurt,” Robinson said, “but we’re gonna pursue other sources. I really don’t have anything else to tell you.”
“This is where I want to play,” Carson said. “(Money) is not a big deal with me, but the Rams are giving me a hard time. They won’t let me talk to anybody else.”
John Math, the Rams’ director of player personnel, suggested that there wouldn’t be much interest in Carson.
“Do you see any other teams lined up to sign this guy?” Math asked.
Robinson might feel differently. Collins could well be lost for the season because of a pinched nerve in his left shoulder that has caused his deltoid muscle to atrophy until one shoulder appears noticeably smaller than the other. He received the injury in the Pro Bowl last February and it has shown no improvement.
“I’m not optimistic,” defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur said. “I think we’re looking at a long rehabilitation (and) that it’s a long way down the road until he’s ready to play.”
Collins continued to exercise with weights off to one side of the practice field Friday.
“Right now, I’m just trying to get some strength back in the muscle,” he said.
Asked if he was on a time schedule to return, he shook his head.
Carson, 28, was Collins’ backup in 1983. He had a year to go on his USFL guaranteed contract but this week forfeited any claims to it.
“We would probably have to sue them (the USFL), and we figured it would be better to be playing football elsewhere,” he said. “We probably wouldn’t get the money, anyway.”
Carson, appearing fit in jeans, sports shirt and ostrich-skin boots, said he is 6-feet 2-inches and 240 pounds, about 10 pounds heavier than when he left.
Carson said he had heard last week that Robinson wanted to talk to him, although the Rams were under a league-wide directive not to negotiate with the 29 players who had guaranteed USFL contracts in force. So Carson phoned Robinson.
Said Marchiano: “When the coach (Robinson) said, ‘We need you. What kind of shape are you in?’ it gets Howard’s hopes up.”
But Carson said Robinson’s secretary called back 10 minutes later to tell him to ignore the conversation.
Carson flew to California from Austin on Friday and was joined by his agent.
“I came over to see if I could get an answer because they aren’t returning our phone calls,” Marchiano said. “His wife’s back home worried sick.”
Ram Notes
Coach John Robinson said that Steve Bartkowski would play the first half at quarterback and Steve Dils the second against the San Francisco 49ers at Anaheim Stadium Monday night. Asked how much offense he expected the 49ers to show in the meaningless exercise, considering they’ll play each other for real Sept. 14, Robinson said: “We’ll be sandbagging each other. I don’t think it’ll be an artistic performance.” . . . Because of Joe Montana’s sprained ankle, former Ram Jeff Kemp will start at quarterback for the 49ers and have a chance to look pretty good against the Rams’ decimated defensive secondary. Cornerback Gary Green’s replacement, Jerry Gray, went without pads Friday because of a bruised shoulder but it wasn’t certain whether he would play Monday night. Free safety Johnnie Johnson (knee) probably won’t play until the final tuneup at Denver Aug. 29. . . . Several other regulars were in shorts, but Eric Dickerson (sprained toe) was back in uniform and impressive enough for Robinson to say: “It appears he’ll be able to play, (and) he won’t just run the ball once or twice.” . . . Former Oklahoma quarterback Danny Bradley, a wide receiver candidate for the Rams when they drafted him seventh in 1985, was released Friday. He had been on injured reserve (knee) since last year’s training camp.