In wake of Chargers Stickum accusations, some NFL alums say cheating is part of the game "In my mind, you're just always pushing to get an edge," said Romanowski, 46, who played for four teams over 16 seasons before retiring in 2003. Always. Over the past week, the San Diego Chargers faced criticism and a review by the NFL that is continuing, league spokesman Greg Aiello said, because of allegations that the team used banned equipment. It was first reported that the Chargers allegedly used "Stickum" or some other prohibited sticky substance in a loss nearly two weeks ago to the Denver Broncos. Chargers Coach Norv Turner later said the league was examining the use of a non-league-issued towel; NFL rules allow only towels provided by the league. No adhesive or slippery substance may be used or applied to uniforms. Romanowski said no one would give a second thought to Stickum or towels if they knew how many times he tested the rules or flagrantly broke them. The measures some NFL players take to gain an edge can be surprising, amusing and disgusting, he said. During his playing days, Romanowski reported to the stadium at least four hours before kickoff, long before most teammates entered the locker room. He wore his pads so tight, in an effort to prevent blockers from holding him, that it took three equipment workers to help him into them. He cut a flap into his jersey and taped down the fabric so that offensive linemen couldn't grip his shoulder. Those measures weren't against the rules. After he was in uniform, however, Romanowski began the second, more illicit phase of his preparation. Romanowski said he spent an hour or more using a Q-tip to carefully apply silicone to his gloves for added grip, and Vaseline to his jersey and pants so that blockers would hit the grease and slide off. Enough to make an impact, but not so much that officials would notice. "I was so detailed about how I put it on," he said, "that they couldn't get me." When Romanowski was beginning his career with the San Francisco 49ers, the team's medical staff provided players with the anti-inflammatory medication dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to ease swollen joints and tired muscles. The NFL doesn't ban DMSO, but the chemical does come with a noticeable side effect: Even in small doses, it causes bad breath and body odor. Of course Romanowski saw this as a potential advantage and said he took the substance intravenously. If his breath was bad enough, he said, maybe a blocker would be tentative when it came time to engage him. "Little distractions, you know?" he said. It evidently was so effective that, when Romanowski moved on to Denver, Philadelphia and Oakland, he found the product, commonly used on racehorses, at veterinary supply stores. He said that a hotel once threatened to force the Oakland Raiders to pay for new carpeting, curtains and bedding in Romanowski's room because the linebacker hadn't left the odor at the field.