White Says Being Cut by Rams Was Anticipated and Painless : Football: Former Crespi and Cal All-American waits by the phone for a chance with another NFL team.

After being cut by the Rams, all Russell White can do is wait by the phone for a call from his agent.

The former Crespi High running back and All-American at California entered camp Thursday at UC Irvine for the start of his second year with the team but was greeted with a pink slip.

“I kind of saw it coming in the last two weeks,” White said. “They never really gave me an opportunity. Just look at how many plays I got to play in last year.”

In 1993 White ran twice for 10 yards and finished the season on the practice squad.

The Rams selected him in the third round of last year’s draft and gave him a three-year, $830,000 contract and a $205,000 signing bonus.

He will be on waivers until noon today, which means his Rams contract will be honored by any team that picks him up.

“If not we’ll just search for another team,” said White’s agent, Angelo Wright. “They could have traded him but they asked him to stay there. I guess as long as Chuck Knox is the coach there he will implement a fullback-based offense.”

White’s inability to control his weight, play special teams or catch the ball on short passing routes soured the Ram coaching staff’s opinion of him last season.

“Initially, his weight was a problem,” said Ram offensive coordinator Chick Harris. “But no one worked harder than Russell to take that weight off.

“It came down to a situation of numbers. We have a lot of good backs here. . . .”

White, 23, says he trained hard in the off-season and is in top shape. He figured with an abundance of running backs on the team, someone had to go.

In addition to Jerome Bettis, the NFL rookie of the year in 1993, the Rams have veteran Cleveland Gary, who has signed a two-year, $1-million contract, and recently signed free agent Johnny Bailey to a one-year deal. The Rams also drafted Auburn’s James Bostic in the third round.

“I’ve done everything they have asked me to do,” White said. “I worked out and did what they said. I went out at 216 (pounds) and I came in at 208. I just think the timing isn’t right.”

“(I’ll) just sit and wait and see who picks me up,” he said. “That’s all I can do. It’s just like being in the draft again. I’m not disappointed and I’m not upset or hurt. I just want to get a job and go wherever I can get one.”

White joined the Rams last year as Cal’s all-time leading rusher with 3,246 yards. He scored 34 touchdowns and was the first player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards three different seasons.

In three seasons at Crespi, White became one of California’s greatest high school backs. He rushed for 5,998 yards, then a Southern Section record. His 568 points are a section record and he scored 94 touchdowns.

As a sophomore, he led Crespi to a section championship.

Staff writer Mike Reilley contributed to this story.