TheReverend
05-22-2005, 07:02 PM
Romo's world: Will he ever figure it out?
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Paul Attner /
Posted: 21 minutes ago
I remember watching Bill Romanowski swimming in a pool, long after his Broncos teammates had ended their training camp workout and retired to their dorm rooms.
Romanowski was not like them. He was a loner, obsessed with conditioning and fitness, not easily accessible in his single-minded world.
Bill Romanowki got absolutely every ounce of talent out of his body during his 16-year career — and then some apparently. (Jonathan Ferrey / Getty Images)
He was an admirable figure even given his peculiarities. Here was a guy who understood the opportunity presented him by pro football. He was willing to push himself, threatening to arrive in that mystical world referred to by coaches as "living up to his potential." He was not about to leave any of his talents untapped; it was the only way he felt he could survive as an undersized linebacker.
You watched Romanowski, alone and unrelenting, and you wondered why far more gifted peers couldn't apply the same work ethic to their careers. Why did it seem those more limited always worked harder?
But the more we learn about his world as a player, the less admirable Romanowski becomes. Instead of tough and gritty, he emerges as a guy so blinded with success that it admittedly destroyed his ethics and morals. He compromised his beliefs to become the player of his dreams.
"I pushed the envelope ethically and morally because if I could take something that would help me perform better and it wasn't on the list, I was going to take it," Romanowski tells the Rocky Mountain News of Denver. The "list" he refers to was distributed by the NFL, naming nutritional supplements banned by the league. Romanowski says he had two criteria: would it hurt me (of course, how would he know?) and would he test positive.
So he popped pills, lots of them, constantly changing to new and better supplements, trying to stay one step ahead of the NFL posse until in November 2003, the NFL told him he had tested positive for a newly identified steroid. By then, his career was over anyway, but he had drained 16 years out of his body, more than he could have ever expected.
Too bad he didn't do it the right way. "That's the learning process," he says now. "If you continue to do the things that compromise your integrity, then what are you?"
Indeed. You wonder if it Romanowski will ever figure it out.
Story Tools: Print Email XML
Paul Attner /
Posted: 21 minutes ago
I remember watching Bill Romanowski swimming in a pool, long after his Broncos teammates had ended their training camp workout and retired to their dorm rooms.
Romanowski was not like them. He was a loner, obsessed with conditioning and fitness, not easily accessible in his single-minded world.
Bill Romanowki got absolutely every ounce of talent out of his body during his 16-year career — and then some apparently. (Jonathan Ferrey / Getty Images)
He was an admirable figure even given his peculiarities. Here was a guy who understood the opportunity presented him by pro football. He was willing to push himself, threatening to arrive in that mystical world referred to by coaches as "living up to his potential." He was not about to leave any of his talents untapped; it was the only way he felt he could survive as an undersized linebacker.
You watched Romanowski, alone and unrelenting, and you wondered why far more gifted peers couldn't apply the same work ethic to their careers. Why did it seem those more limited always worked harder?
But the more we learn about his world as a player, the less admirable Romanowski becomes. Instead of tough and gritty, he emerges as a guy so blinded with success that it admittedly destroyed his ethics and morals. He compromised his beliefs to become the player of his dreams.
"I pushed the envelope ethically and morally because if I could take something that would help me perform better and it wasn't on the list, I was going to take it," Romanowski tells the Rocky Mountain News of Denver. The "list" he refers to was distributed by the NFL, naming nutritional supplements banned by the league. Romanowski says he had two criteria: would it hurt me (of course, how would he know?) and would he test positive.
So he popped pills, lots of them, constantly changing to new and better supplements, trying to stay one step ahead of the NFL posse until in November 2003, the NFL told him he had tested positive for a newly identified steroid. By then, his career was over anyway, but he had drained 16 years out of his body, more than he could have ever expected.
Too bad he didn't do it the right way. "That's the learning process," he says now. "If you continue to do the things that compromise your integrity, then what are you?"
Indeed. You wonder if it Romanowski will ever figure it out.