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Henley’s Status Still Uncertain : Pro football: Cornerback re-signs with Rams, but whether he will be allowed to travel to road games has not been determined.

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

Cornerback Darryl Henley re-signed with the Rams on Wednesday, but whether he will be allowed to travel to road games was still uncertain after a court hearing in which prosecutors demanded that the team back its pledge to post a $2-million bond.

Attorneys for Henley presented U.S. District Court Judge Gary L. Taylor an unsigned affidavit from Ram President John Shaw, promising $2 million, so Henley can travel to Sunday’s game at Atlanta.

Shaw was expected to sign it today, one of Henley’s attorneys said. But Shaw said he wouldn’t sign anything until he could get an insurance company or some other party to guarantee part of the bond so the Rams could lessen their liability.

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Henley signed Wednesday for the NFL minimum of $162,000, instead of the $350,000 he had agreed to earlier, to protect the team in the event he can’t travel. Shaw said Henley’s salary will be increased if travel is approved.

Henley, named in a federal indictment as the alleged ringleader of a cocaine distribution ring, has been prohibited from traveling outside the Central District of California since he was arrested last December.

Shaw said a deal has been in the works with Henley’s representative spelling out how the $2-million bail will be covered. He said the team might have a stake in covering a portion but that bail will not be posted if the Rams aren’t covered either by insurance or collateral from Henley.

“I think it’s going to be done, but nothing’s guaranteed,” Shaw said. “If it’s not done, he can’t travel. I would hope we could get this worked out in the next day or two, but if not, then next week. If he can’t travel with us, then he can’t be on the team.”

Although Henley’s attorneys brought the affidavit into court, Asst. U.S. Atty. John C. Rayburn Jr. insisted that it be backed by some form of equity showing that the team could afford to forfeit $2 million.

The Rams cut Henley Aug. 28 but indicated they would re-sign him if he could play in road games.

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Last week, Taylor said he would allow Henley to travel outside the district if he or “a responsible third party,” such as the Rams, put up the bond as a guarantee that the cornerback would not flee.

Henley was mum about Wednesday’s developments and how much the Rams were willing to raise. “I don’t know anything about that, and I won’t talk about it,” he said.

Henley practiced with the team Wednesday at Rams Park and was welcomed back to the locker room by teammate Robert Bailey, who dumped a bucket of ice water on him on his way to the shower.

“That was a welcome return from somebody, some joker,” Henley said. “You hang around here long enough, you’ll hear him screaming. I’ll get him back.”

The cornerback says he’s ready to forget about his legal troubles and concentrate on “what happens on Sunday.”

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Staff writers T.J. Simers and Mike Reilley contributed to this story.

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