Ware Leaving for Shot at NFL

UCLA officials are concerned that the recent spate of veteran players leaving the program reflects negatively on Coach Karl Dorrell, whose first season ended with a 6-7 record and loss to Fresno State in the Silicon Valley Classic.

But the decision by cornerback Matt Ware on Tuesday to skip his senior year and make himself available for the NFL draft had little to do with the state of the Bruin program.

Ware said the major factor was where NFL scouts project he will be drafted -- by the end of the second round.

“After reflecting upon this decision for a long time, and discussing it with my family, I have decided to take the next step,” he said. “I will always be a member of the Bruin family.”

Ware’s parents are UCLA graduates and strong supporters of the program. But their son, who at 6 feet 3, 223 pounds usually was assigned to cover an opponent’s biggest receiver, was plagued with minor injuries throughout his career.

The time seemed right to join former teammates such as St. Louis Ram linebacker Robert Thomas, Green Bay Packer safety Marques Anderson and Carolina Panther cornerback Ricky Manning Jr. in the NFL.

“This decision is based primarily on my belief that I am ready to play in the NFL and information I have received supporting that belief,” Ware said.

Ware, who attended Loyola High, had eight career interceptions, five coming as a freshman. He had 117 tackles, including 34 this season.

Ware also is under contract to play three more seasons of minor league baseball with the Seattle Mariners. He signed a contract in 2001 that spread his signing bonus over five years, with most of the money coming in the last two years.

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Dorrell earned only $15,000 of a potential $405,000 in contract bonuses in 2003. The bonuses are in addition to his guaranteed salary of $600,000 a year, which includes $150,000 in base salary, $225,000 for personal appearances and $225,000 for wearing Adidas apparel.

The most lucrative bonus is $200,000 for winning a national championship.

Other bonuses include $15,000 for each victory over seven, $50,000 for winning the Pacific 10 Conference title, $30,000 for finishing in the top 10 in the coaches’ poll and $50,000 for playing in a bowl championship series game.

Dorrell made the extra $15,000 for UCLA playing in a bowl game with a payout of less than $1 million. He still can earn an additional $30,000 to $50,000 in bonuses based on player graduation rates after the summer quarter.

His contract, which extends through 2008, is structured the same as that of his predecessor, Bob Toledo, with one major exception: Dorrell must pay UCLA $1 million should he take a job with another Pac-10 school and $600,000 should he take a job at another college or in the NFL before his contract expires.

If he is fired, Dorrell would get $600,000 for one year and $150,000 a year for five additional years.

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Defensive linemen Mat Ball and David Tautofi will play in the Hula Bowl on Saturday in Maui and Dave Ball and Rodney Leisle will play in the Senior Bowl on Jan. 24 in Mobile, Ala.

Offensive lineman Shane Lehmann will play in the Las Vegas All-American Classic on Saturday.

Linebacker Brandon Chillar was named defensive most valuable player of the East-West Shrine game last Saturday.