PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : RAMS : Spending Concerns Prompt Grievance

John Shaw, the team’s executive vice president, said the Rams have joined the Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a grievance with an NFL arbitrator against what they say is a last-minute rule change designed to help keep the NFL’s free-spending teams from losing players.

The teams are challenging a decision by the Player-Club Operations Committee that allows teams more time to increase player contracts without those payments counting against a projected 1994 salary cap.

The decision extended from Wednesday until Dec. 23 a deadline that allows teams to sign their own players to long-term contracts and also allows retroactive payments to those players for the ’93 season to not count against the ’94 cap.

Shaw said the retroactive pay increases--as opposed to signing bonuses, which would count against the cap--allow teams with large cash surpluses to gain an economic advantage.

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Linebacker Shane Conlan practiced and pronounced his sprained left knee fit for Sunday’s game against Cincinnati, although Coach Chuck Knox has yet to make a decision on Conlan’s game status.

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The Rams delayed a decision on whether to put right tackle Jackie Slater (torn pectoral muscle) on injured reserve, although they might do it today if they make a roster move to sign another offensive lineman.