Post by TheShadow on Jun 27, 2006 3:48:39 GMT -5
www.dailypress.com/
Former linebacker Bill Romanowski says NFL teams passed out Vioxx "like
it was candy."
BY MICHAEL C. WRIGHT
VIRGINIA BEACH -- Next to a box of supplement packets, former NFL linebacker Bill Romanowski sits down, grabs his right thumb and bends it back in a 180-degree angle, parallel to his meaty right forearm.
Coaxed with the same motion, the left thumb won't move.
Freaky.
Yet the thumbs - which serve as remnants of injuries from a 16-year career - fall in line with Romanowski's ideology about the benefits, legality and controversy concerning tetrahydrogestrinone (THG), a drug that has dominated recent sports headlines because of the BALCO steroids scandal. He doesn't know which way to bend, or how far. He discussed THG, his career and his new line of vitamin supplements Monday at a Norfolk Sports Club luncheon.
"If you knew how long I've pondered between right and wrong, (and) moral decisions," he said. "It's something I think about often ... something I've struggled with."
Considered a designer steroid, THG, according to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, resembles traditional anabolic steroids by stimulating muscle and bone cells to make new protein, thus helping athletes to increase strength while stimulating new muscle growth.
Romanowski admits to taking the drug during the last three years (2001-03) of a career that included stops in San Francisco, Philadelphia, Denver and Oakland. The only linebacker to start in five Super Bowls, Romanowski played his last NFL down in September 2003.
Two months later, he received notice from the NFL about testing positive for THG. Three of his Raiders teammates tested positive, too. By then, Romanowski's career was already over.
Per NFL rules, a positive drug test results in an automatic four-game suspension. Yet Romanowski and his teammates weren't suspended.
"You know what that means?" he asked. "There's liability."
Romanowski first received THG in 2001 from BALCO founder Victor Conte. Like he'd done with supplements he'd taken before, Romanowski thoroughly researched the drug. According to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, there haven't been any reliable studies performed on THG because of its relative newness.
"I started hearing things, so I stopped taking it," Romanowski said. "I did take things that weren't on the (banned substance) list. If it wasn't on the list and I thought it could help me, ... I rationalized enough to where I took things."
That wasn't out of the ordinary for Romanowski, who spent $200,000 a year on supplements and, three days a week, took vitamin and mineral IVs to deal with the "trauma and pain" of football. He says he popped 250 pills a day, underwent regular acupuncture sessions and owned a $6,000 hyperbaric chamber.
His quest to stay in the NFL even led him to trying live cell therapy (injections of cells from Scottish black sheep).
"You name it, I've tried it, done it," said Romanowski, who played in 243 consecutive NFL games. "I know what works and what doesn't work."
Known for his intensity on the field, Romanowski garnered headlines throughout his career for his involvement in several incidents with teammates and opponents. Romanowski, who has been fined more than $70,000 by the NFL, even admitted in his book to purposely breaking the finger of former New York Giants running back Dave Meggett.
Off the field, Romanowski twice was involved in cases about illegally obtaining prescription drugs. He was acquitted in one incident and prosecutors dropped charges in the other.
Despite all he's done - four Super Bowl rings, two Pro Bowls - it's the positive test for THG that stands out.
"I wish I didn't do it," Romanowski said. "But there's still a debate in my mind. Ethically, when you know the facts, it's not as cut and dried. For me, it's hard because I really know the truth. If I could take back one thing in my career, I would take that back.
"As God is my witness, they don't know what THG is," he added. "They call it an anabolic steroid (but) there's not one human study that proves that. If I'm putting something in my body, I know what the hell it does. They handed out Vioxx like it was candy in our locker room. You see the struggle I have?"
Used to treat arthritis, Vioxx is an anti-inflammatory drug that was discontinued in the United States because of serious risks (heart attack and strokes) associated with its use. Researchers haven't yet found such data regarding THG.
Romanowski's adventure in supplements throughout his career - THG included - led him to start his own company, Pure Romo Nutrition (pureromonutrition.com). The company's first product is Neuropath, which, according to its packaging, is "fuel for the brain, energy for the body." He also plans to release a natural anti-depressant, a line of supplements for children with attention deficit disorder and a sleep aid.
He's also starting the Bill Romanowski Brain Institute (he estimates suffering more than 20 concussions).
"Ninety-nine percent of the things I did (in my career) were great," Romanowski said. "Would I change a few things? Yes. You can be someone that spends the rest of your life regretting things or you can do something about it.
"I'm someone that's doing something about it."