Ram Talk Turns to Football : NFL: Team is not focusing on Henley situation. The focus on is on the next game.

There were eight pairs of shoes, a helmet and shoulder pads hanging in Darryl Henley’s locker, just as he had left it Monday when he and his Ram teammates began a three-day bye-week break.

There is no way of knowing whether Henley will ever have use again for such gear, but then, as Henley’s teammates pointed out Friday, their immediate concern is the game to be played in six days.

“Life goes on,” said wide receiver Flipper Anderson, who has known Henley for nine years including their time together at UCLA.

The Rams returned to work Friday for the first time since hearing reports of Henley’s alleged role in a cocaine-trafficking network.

The players were immediately greeted by a new dark green tarp covering the cyclone fence outside Rams Park. The tarp, along with cameras and alarms to be installed shortly, are part of increased security following a September incident in which three men confronted Henley outside the practice facility.

While Henley’s locker remained unchanged, on the field, Robert Bailey stood in Henley’s place as starting right cornerback. Cornerback Wymon Henderson, who had been unemployed, was signed and on hand to replace Henley on the 53-man roster.

“The players have to go on and do what they’re responsible for doing,” Coach Chuck Knox said. “Certainly everybody has feelings for Darryl Henley. There’s no question about that. But they got to go on and do what they have to do, and that’s why a leave of absence with pay was granted.”

Henley, due to earn $15,277 a week this season, has been unavailable for comment.

“The first reaction that the team is experiencing is a perfectly normal one,” said Jackie Slater, offensive tackle. “Everybody has sympathy, everybody is bewildered, and everybody is hopeful this whole thing isn’t true.

“We’re all stunned it’s one of us that has come under this kind of observation. It’s shocking and jarring and makes us take a look at how vulnerable we really are. We know Darryl is a very competent, talented person with a lot on the ball, and if a guy like that, with so much going for him, ends up in a situation like this, then we’re all vulnerable.”

While there have been indications from outside sources that players were aware of Henley’s problem with the three men at Rams Park on Sept. 8, players contacted Friday declined to specifically comment on the situation.

“To tell you the truth, I don’t watch the news and I don’t read the newspapers, so I really don’t know what’s going on,” Anderson said. “So if you want to ask me anything about Darryl Henley, I don’t really have any comment.

“Life goes on, and Darryl is going to have to deal with what happens to Darryl. We got a game next Thursday that we have to deal with. The coach emphasized that whatever goes on with him, we still got a job to do here.”

Anderson and Henley played together at UCLA and have been together with the Rams since 1989. “To hear his name in such things like this doesn’t seem like Darryl,” Anderson said. “But you never know.”

Has Anderson attempted to contact Henley? “No, don’t even know his phone number,” he said. “I don’t hang out with him; just football friends.”

Safety and defensive captain Anthony Newman said he also had no contact with Henley since Monday evening’s developments. “Anything like that is a shock,” he said.

“We’re not around that type of thing, and a friend that you know that they say is hooked up into it, well, you’re shocked by it.

“Darryl’s a friend, and we feel for him as a friend, but that’s as far as it goes because we don’t know anything, and we don’t want to know anything.”

Bailey said he has not been in contact with Henley.

“Definitely, it’s a loss,” Bailey said. “We send out our blessings, pray for Henley and hope he’s back. I know the chances of that are slim, we hope everything works out.

“It’s never happened to us before so I can’t tell you how we’re going to react. We’re all saying we’re going to have to move on, but we’re a young team and this is the biggest thing that has happened to us as far as something negative.”

Safety Michael Stewart is another who to date has made no effort to contact Henley.

“The next person in line has to step up,” Stewart said. “We have to kind of look at it like when I got injured last year. It’s not like the team can’t go on, the next person has to step up and fill in.

“You look at it, somewhat like we lost a game. Our main goal right now is to come back from that. Regardless, we have to be a team and we’re going to be a team down the stretch. We just hope after next Thursday we have a win in the column, and then after that we have some more wins. The main goal is to get into the playoffs and then hopefully win a Super Bowl. That’s our real focus right now.”

A number of players, including linebacker Roman Phifer who played with Henley at UCLA, declined comment.

“I got no comment on it,” said Sean Gilbert, defensive tackle. “My main concern is the Rams. Darryl did what he thought was best at that point in time. That’s the decision he made.”

Todd Lyght, who started opposite Henley, at left cornerback said, “I have no comment on the situation because I don’t know anything about it.

“The best thing for the L.A. Rams to do is to play football, get better and win. The best situation, at least for the cornerbacks, is to play well against (Atlanta’s) run-and-shoot offense and have some good for Darryl to watch on Thursday night.”

* HOME HEADQUARTERS? Court documents indicate Darryl Henley’s home was center of a narcotics network. B1