Slater Blinks, Reports to Rams

When it comes to playing football, the Rams are pretty good. When it comes to playing hardball, nobody does it better.

Offensive tackle Jackie Slater ended his 28-day holdout Wednesday and reported to Rams Park. The six-time Pro Bowl selection didn’t get his contract re-negotiated, however. He obviously didn’t get the trade he demanded three weeks ago, either. And he apparently didn’t get the Rams to waive the fines levied against him, which could total $42,000 if he was being fined the NFL maximum of $1,500 a day.

Slater, 36, a 14-year veteran who will earn a reported $550,000 this year, was seeking a deal that would put him on a level with the league’s highest-paid offensive linemen. (Cincinnati’s Anthony Munoz, for example, earns $875,000 a year).

Instead, Slater apparently got a verbal guarantee that he would be more fairly compensated in 1991, when he will set a club record for longevity, breaking the mark of 15 seasons established by Charlie Cowan, Joe Scibelli and Merlin Olsen.

“I had the opportunity to sit down with the organization and we mutually agreed on some things that addressed the problem that I was having, so here I am,” Slater said. When asked direct questions about his contract and the fines, he would only say, “it’s Rams’ policy not to re-negotiate contracts” and “it’s Rams policy not to waive fines.”

That much, of course, he knew before he decided to hold out. So why did he return?

“We had a meeting of the minds and everyone concerned feels that my goals are realistic and I should be given the opportunity to obtain them,” Slater said. “We agreed on the fact that I will be playing here next year. All the details haven’t been ironed out, but I’ll be here and I’m very pleased with the way the Rams ended up handling my situation.”

However, Slater said he was “certainly serious” when he requested that the Rams trade him. “My feeling was that I was able to play two more years, regardless of where it was,” he said. “When I felt I wasn’t going to be here, I looked at it as an opportunity to see what was inside me, to go to a different system at my age, be impressive enough to make the club and then start in a different offense. It was a challenging thought, to say the least, and something that I was certainly going to get up for.”

During the early days of the holdout, Coach John Robinson lashed out at Slater, pointing out that Slater was under contract and ought to think about his obligations to the team. But Slater said he has no ill will toward the Rams.

“I don’t have any hard feelings about what was said in the past,” he said. “All of that was in the past. Hopefully, this will all be put to rest now and we can concentrate on trying to accomplish some of the team goals that we have.”

Robinson, not surprisingly, was 100% behind that line of reasoning.

“I’m sure I irritated and frustrated him,” Robinson said. “But I was frustrated at the time, too. Relationships between human beings have frustration involved. Unfortunately, (our relationships) undergo the scrutiny of the press. Those are things you just have to get by.

“And despite those statements I made, my respect for Jackie is as much as for any athlete I’ve ever known.”

Slater, who has been running and working out on his own during the holdout, said he planned on playing in Saturday night’s exhibition game against Phoenix.

“Football shape and just what I’ve been doing are a lot different, though,” he said. “The next couple of days will tell the story to me about how much I can play (Saturday). But I’ve got two solid weeks of work before the season opener, so I’ll be ready by then.”

While admitting he was angry and frustrated at times during the past month, Slater said he never gave up hope of reaching an agreement.

“There was always dialogue and there was never a closed ear, on my part or theirs,” Slater said. “Fortunately, there was always a thread of hope, despite the gloomy circumstances that existed at one time. That thread turned into a couple of strands and from there into a rope.”

Ram Notes

Coach John Robinson said he would alternate Gaston Green and Curt Warner at running back during Saturday’s exhibition game against Phoenix, with the intention of getting more work for Warner. “He needs now to get enough carries to feel his progress,” Robinson said. “To me, he’s making really good progress. It’s like a guy in spring training who’s swinging the bat real well but hitting .210. Curt’s doing very well, but he’s been overshadowed by Green.” Green has gained 186 yards in 35 carries during the exhibition season. Warner has only 32 yards in 14 carries. . . . Running back Cleveland Gary’s back continues to cause problems and Robinson said he may or may not play Saturday. “He goes and then all of a sudden the muscle starts cramping up and he can’t go anymore,” Robinson said. “Hopefully, it’s getting better, but I’m certainly not going to play him unless I feel he’s past it.”

Linebacker Mel Owens, who has been experiencing continued back pain, underwent a Magnetic Resonance Imaging test Wednesday and Dr. William Dillin diagnosed the problem as disc inflammation. Owens will be out indefinitely. . . . Results of an arthrogram performed on the left wrist of defensive tackle Mike Piel were negative and the injury was diagnosed as a sprain. Piel, who also has a sore left elbow, is questionable for Saturday night’s game.