Wednesday, May 19, 2004 | 9:18 a.m.
Terrill Shaw followed Clint Dolezel to Las Vegas seven months ago with dreams of the duo powering the Gladiators just like they did for the Grand Rapids Rampage.
Those dreams never became reality and the Gladiators abruptly severed their ties with Shaw on Tuesday, releasing the 2001 ArenaBowl Most Valuable Player in the middle of their postseason drive. Former UNLV standout Lenny Ware will be signed from the practice squad to fill out the active roster for Saturday's game at Los Angeles.
Shaw recovered slowly from hip and gluteus injuries that sidelined him for two months, allowing Marcus Nash to step in and emerge as one of the best receivers in the Arena Football League. With Nash entrenched as the team's top offensive option and Shaw due a sizable roster bonus if still with Las Vegas on June 1, coach Frank Haege decided to act quickly with a player he viewed as underachieving.
"It's just strictly a business decision," Haege said. "We've been paying him a lot of money and he hasn't been that productive."
Haege declined to disclose the financial terms of Shaw's contract. The team is not obligated to release such information under the league's collective bargaining agreement. The league-mandated salary cap for each team is about $1.64 million, with Dolezel's salary of between $100,000 and $150,000 reportedly at the top of Las Vegas' list.
Shaw, 27, signed a two-year contract with Las Vegas in October 2003, leaving the Rampage as a free agent. In 2003, Shaw enjoyed his best season with 105 receptions, 1,658 yards and 41 touchdowns, placing in the top five in the league in all three categories.
He totaled 29 catches, 361 yards and five scores in six games with the Gladiators and is now free to sign with any team for the remainder of the season.
"I'm sure he will," Haege said.
Dolezel and Shaw teamed for three years in Grand Rapids, winning the 2001 ArenaBowl and establishing themselves as one of the top tandems in the game.
The Gladiators (7-7) take their four-game winning streak to Los Angeles (8-6) on Saturday night, with the loser all but eliminated from the AFL playoff race. Las Vegas lost its earlier contest with the Avengers, falling 62-55 on Feb. 14 at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Shaw had his best showing with Las Vegas in that game, catching eight passes for 142 yards and four touchdowns. Haege did not see that same player coming back from injury.
"He just never could get back," Haege said.
Now in the second season on a two-year agreement, the contract called for NBC to decide on a four-year extension. The sides mutually agreed to cut that to two years, but any continued network presence is a victory for the league.
"The first two years on NBC validated the AFL's credibility," AFL commissioner David Baker said in a statement. "We're confident the next two years will further grow our sport and we look forward to a long and profitable partnership with NBC, which has proven to be a truly great partner."
The league has not been an overwhelming TV success, garnering a mediocre 1.1 rating in 2003, meaning just more than a million people watched a typical game. Most of that number was built in the early part of the season and ratings faded as the year wore on. Through the first six weeks of 2004, the ratings jumped to a 1.5 and NBC Sports president Ken Schanzer is willing to keep trying for steady progress.
"We knew growth would take time," Schanzer said. "But by being profitable, this partnership allows us time to work on attracting new fans to what we believe is a terrific product."
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