Henley Cleared to Travel by Judge : Jurisprudence: Rams say they will probably re-sign cornerback if they can help him raise bail of $2 million.

A federal judge has cleared the way for Darryl Henley to travel to road games with the Rams without a court escort, and the team’s president said Friday that if certain conditions are met, the team “will probably re-sign him.”

Ram President John Shaw said Friday that if Coach Chuck Knox wants Henley back, as it appears he does, and if the team can help Henley raise his $2-million bail while minimizing the club’s liability for the entire amount, Henley could rejoin the team as early as next week.

“All right!” Henley said Friday. “Things have been crazy. I hope nothing changes again. I want to play for the Rams. A number of people have gone overboard in helping. Maybe it’s because they believe in the system.”

U. S. District Judge Gary L. Taylor sided with Henley’s attorneys, dropping the provision that a U. S. marshal or pretrial services agency officer accompany Henley on the road, so long as the $2 million was posted and Henley came up with an additional $200,000 cash deposit.

The Rams had indicated that they had no interest in re-signing Henley if an escort had to be used. Henley’s attorneys said the escort “would cause undue disruption to the team’s ability to prepare for, and play in, the games in question.”

But the judge’s ruling, and Shaw’s statement that Henley’s return to the team was likely, appears to have given the troubled cornerback new life as he awaits trial in January as a suspect in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine from his home in Brea. If convicted, he faces a maximum punishment of life in federal prison.

Shaw said he was still awaiting a detailed copy of the judge’s ruling, but if the only restriction was a financial one, then the team would talk to Henley’s representatives about the manner in which the $2-million bail was raised. Shaw emphasized the Rams would not be responsible for the entire amount.

“As long as the (financial) risk is not great,” Shaw said, “we will probably re-sign him.”

If the Rams do re-sign Henley, considered one of the team’s best defensive players, they will have to release another player. The team would like to re-sign Henley next week and avoid a distraction before Sunday’s regular-season opener with Arizona in Anaheim Stadium, but they would be better served financially to release a player before the game.

Any player on the 53-man roster as of Sunday is entitled to half his salary regardless of when released.

As for Henley, in his sixth year with the team, the Rams have been in a quandary about what to do with him since his indictment last year. Team officials agreed in August to sign him to a one-year, $350,000 contract, but were assured his travel would not be restricted.

However, the terms of his bail prohibited him from leaving the Central District of California, including Orange and Los Angeles counties, without approval.

When Henley’s attorneys petitioned the court for the football player to travel with the team to games outside the district, Taylor allowed him to do so only if Henley, or a “responsible third party” such as the Rams, could come up $1 million bail.

Taylor also ordered that a U.S. marshal or pretrial services officer accompany him on all road games--even sitting beside him on the bench during the games--to make sure Henley didn’t flee.

Team officials, however, were strongly opposed to the escort.

They suggested having an off-duty Anaheim police officer who travels with the team keep an eye on Henley.

Henley’s attorneys suggested an increased bail of $2 million if Henley were allowed to travel without outside supervision. Taylor agreed, and in his ruling Friday said the Rams “may privately arrange for security to further supervise Mr. Henley.”

Federal prosecutors filed legal papers Friday opposing Henley’s request to travel without a court escort, calling him a flight risk and a danger to the community.

“The government opposes substituting a local police officer employed by the Los Angeles Rams for the federal escort ordered by the court,” prosecutors wrote. “A federal officer is more directly accountable to this court than an off-duty police officer employed by the Rams.”

Federal officials fear that Henley may be contacted by drug dealers or other associates during trips.

A U. S. marshal or a pretrial services officer was necessary, prosecutors argued, to make sure that Henley does not make contact with anyone associated with the case.

“Without this condition, defendant’s movements would be unrestricted and he would be able to meet other witnesses in Atlanta and across the country without fear of detection by authorities,” prosecutors said. Henley is accused of making cross-country shipments to drop-off points in Memphis and Atlanta.

Despite the pledge to post the $2-million bail, “forfeiture of the travel bond (should Henley not appear at trial) will do little to serve the interests of justice if the government is forced to proceed with trial without the head of the cocaine ring,” the prosecutors argued.

Judge Taylor kept all other aspects of his order intact, including a provision that Henley’s salary should go into an escrow account controlled by a pretrial services officer who would provide Henley with living expenses and legal costs associated with the trial.