PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : RAMS : Delpino Ends 5-Day Holdout

Running back Robert Delpino ended his five-day holdout and reported to the Rams’ training camp, a team official said Sunday night.

Delpino was a surprise no-show last Tuesday when veterans were required to report to camp at UC Irvine.

He is expected to join the Rams for practice today. Coach Chuck Knox gave the team the day off Sunday, the first since camp began July 15.

Delpino’s arrival left the Rams with only two unsigned holdouts--rookie cornerback Steve Israel and veteran safety Michael Stewart.

Delpino, a fifth-year veteran, is in the second year of a two-year contract that reportedly will pay him $325,000 this season.

Last year, Delpino beat out Cleveland Gary for the starting tailback spot and gained a combined 1,305 yards from scrimmage.

Israel said that his holdout, 11 days so far, is simply a matter of two sides trying to cut a business deal.

“It has to be done,” Israel said while appearing at a card show at Woodbridge High, a few miles from the Rams’ training camp site. “It’s like coming to college from high school, there’s a certain transition, things come into play . . . the same way with making a transition from college football to the pros.

“This is one of the biggest things--the negotiation thing. As you go up to the next level, business has to be taken care of, and that’s where we’re at. It’s just the way the Rams do it.”

The two sides remain about $100,000-a-season apart on a three-year deal.

“I’m not angry,” said Israel, who was scheduled to return home to Pittsburgh Sunday night. “My people and the Rams, we both want the same thing, and we’re working hard to get to it.”

The Rams resume two-a-day workouts today and will scrimmage in San Diego against the Chargers on Saturday.