Outspoken. Controversial. Ferocious.
In the 16 years he played in the NFL, there was no disparity between linebacker Bill Romanowski’s persona on and off the field.
It was a career in which he racked up two Pro Bowl selections, four Super Bowl rings and no shortage of critics for violent play that often pushed past the edge of legality.
In 2005, “Romo” told 60 Minutes he had used steroids for two years, an unsurprising admission considering he whipped himself up into hate-filled frenzies for opponents. “I started hating the guy I was going to go against,” he said. “I hated the coaches. I hated their fans. I hated their family. You name it. And by the time I got onto that field come Sunday, watch out because there was rage.”
Romanowski also admitted to human growth hormone use, getting injected with cells from Scottish black sheep during live cell therapy and daily ingesting 100 health supplement pills – all adding up to a $200,000 spent yearly on supplements, doctors and therapists.
After such a Krakatoa of confession, what else could Romo possibly spew that would raise an eyebrow?
How about pure, unadulterated absurdity?
After plugging his nutrition company Nutrition 53 at the end of a recent interview with a Little Rock-based sports radio show, Romo told the host he wanted to read a “little letter” he had written to, er, body fat.
Permission was granted, and the following gem was dropped onto central Arkansas airwaves:
Hey fat, There's a new shake in town, and it's not putting up with your junk. In fact, it's not putting up with anyone's junk, especially not junk food. And definitely [not] in your trunk. Isn't it about time you took a hike? A long, fat-burning one. Disrespectfully yours, Lean One
Asides from anthropomorphizing those pesky triclyerides, Romanowski said some other pretty interesting stuff in the Shawn and Wally radio show interview.
His thoughts on pro football players going overseas for treatment:
Here’s why they’re gong over there. What they’re allowed to do there, what makes the stem cells more powerful and more healing, is they’re allowed to add HGH and testosterone into them.
The combination of the stem cells with a little bit of human growth hormone and tiny bit of testosterone turns those stem cells into an atomic healing bomb…It’s such a miniscule amount it never would show up on a drug test…
It is cutting edge. Nobody in the country even knows this stuff.
On Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo’s early-season success following a rib injury:
I will give him this. I like the toughness. But here’s what I recommend. I recommend that the Dallas Cowboys, when they play a game, they bring a baseball bat with them and they crack a rib before every game, so we can get better play out of Tony Romo. I’m serious. And heres’ why. Here’s what it did to him: with pain comes extreme focus.
I’m guessing Romo was tongue-in-cheek for a lot of this, but who knows? It’s clear dude thinks on a different level than most people. Regardless, I highly recommend listening to the interview. Provocative, hilarious stuff.
