Newberry, Rams’ Last Holdout, Returns to Camp

The last prodigal Ram returned Wednesday--homeless, winded and seeming to hold no bitterness toward the organization that, just a week before, he had said would never treat him fairly.

Tom Newberry got to Rams’ Park at about 2:20 p.m., ending his 34-day holdout that stemmed from his current contract renegotiations with the Rams.

Newberry was the Rams’ final holdout of a class that once included nose tackle Greg Meisner and defensive ends Shawn Miller and Doug Reed. By 3 p.m., a half hour after practice had started, Newberry was in practice gear.

“I couldn’t wait to get out there,” he said. “I hurried through the physical and hauled on down here.”

Jogging to the side of the field where the Rams were working on the running game, Newberry was met by an equipment man who shook his hand and, moments later, by Ram Coach John Robinson, who slapped him on the shoulder pads.

A few plays after arriving, Newberry was inserted at his guard position. He pulled right on the play, Robinson applauded, yelled something about fresh legs and then called an end to that portion of practice.

Robinson said Newberry would play in the Rams’ final exhibition game, Friday against the San Diego Chargers, though he believes it will take about a month before Newberry is back in game shape.

“Obviously he’ll be behind,” Robinson said. “I think it’s going to take a month before Tom, Meisner, Miller, Reed return to the form they want.”

Newberry’s contract is still not in the form he wants, though he said negotiations between the Rams and his agent, Greg Campbell were, “so close, they’re just working on the details.”

Last week, in a phone conversation with reporters, an obviously distressed Newberry said he doubted Ram management would ever treat him fairly and virtually requested a trade. Newberry was so sure a trade was the only solution that he put his house in Huntington Beach up for sale.

But Wednesday, he said he was, “convinced I’ll get something that’s very fair for me.”

What happened?

“Both sides sat and pouted, that didn’t make sense for either,” he said. “It wasn’t helping them as a team or me as a player. . . .We sat down with them. It’s not a fight anymore, it’s a conversation.”

The whole mess started when, Newberry says, the Rams approached him about renegotiating his contract. Newberry, in the third year of a four-year contract, is considered one of the top young linemen in the National Football League. But, coming into this season, he was making $35,000 less than his back-up, Mike Schad.

The Rams offered to add $50,000 to Newberry’s base salary, but demanded that he extend his contract two years, through 1991. Later, Newberry said, the Rams removed the two-year extension demand and offered to increase his salary only through incentives.

That angered Newberry, who believed the incentives were a slap in the face.

“I’ve already proved what I can do,” he said last week.

Wednesday, he said that incentives would probably be part of the new contract but added they would be “very attainable incentives.”

With that situation apparently eased, Newberry must deal with his latest crisis: Where to put the dining room table? His house sold during the holdout.

“About five minutes before I decided to come back,” he said.

If it’s not one thing, it’s another.

Newberry spent some extra time after practice with offensive line coach Hudson Houck, who showed him some new pass-block techniques.

“It’s nothing drastic,” Newberry said.

Asked how long it would take him to get in playing shape, he said, “I get comfortable pretty quick.”

Jim Everett, Ram quarterback, sensed anything but comfort coming from Newberry’s direction Wednesday.

“He was breathing so hard I think he could barely hear me call the plays,” he said.

Everett jokingly said the reason for Newberry’s holdout was because, “Tom was in no hurry to get to Fullerton,” the site of the Rams’ training camp.

“Tom’s no dummy,” Everett said.

Newberry, who looked in good shape, said he weighed 288 pounds at his physical earlier in the day. He said he felt he was in good shape, but made a a distinction between, “running shape and football shape.”

Newberry added: “I know I’ll be tired after Friday’s game.”

Ram Notes

Newberry’s arrival means space will have to be made on the roster. Most likely to leave the active roster is David Diaz-Infante, a free agent center from San Jose State. . . . Dress codes are pretty lax around Rams’ Park. Receiver Willie Anderson spent most of Wednesday morning attending meetings in a Pittsburgh Steeler T-shirt.