Romanowski: I can help Westbrook
Concussions ended Bill Romanowski's career.
Now, the former NFL linebacker says he can help current athletes, including Brian Westbrook.
"I can help Brian Westbrook heal very quickly," Romanowski told the DailyPhiladephian.com.
Often at the center of controversy during his 16-year career, and since he retired, Romanowski says he has a three-step plan for helping athletes who have suffered concussions:
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Chiropractic treatment
Use of a special vitamin product
"I'll go up against any doctor on this issue," he said in the article. "Mark my words, in 20 years every NFL team in every stadium across the country will have a hyperbaric chamber. They will all be doing IV treatments of neuronutrients. And, every single team will have a chiropractor on staff."
In a memorable interview on 60 Minutes back in 2005, Romanowski estimated he suffered between eight and 20 concussions during his playing days. The last one in 2003 ended his career. He also admitted to using steroids and human growth hormone.
As a player, he said he spent around $200,000 a year on supplements, doctors and therapies. He was taking 100 pills a day and played in 271 straight games.
However, Romanowski often played when he knew he shouldn't have, lying to trainers to get on the field.
"Two weeks before I left the NFL, I left the Raiders parking lot and couldn't find my way home," he said. "And here's as scary as it gets. I remember filling out a document that asked if I was male or female and literally, for a split second, I had to think about that."
Ex-quarterback Rich Gannon recalled Romanowski's concussions during an interview with the Inquirer's Bob Brookover last week.
"Bill Romanowski used to get them in back-to-back weeks in Oakland," Gannon said. "He'd try playing the next week and he couldn't finish the game."
As for Westbrook, he received encouraging news last week when concussion specialists at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center said they expected him to make a full recovery.
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