|
OAKLAND — Former Oakland Raider tough guy Bill Romanowski wept at times Tuesday as he testified about his childhood, his drive to prove himself on the gridiron and the blow that landed him in an Oakland courtroom.
Romanowski responded calmly to an onslaught of questions from Marcus Williams' lawyer, James Brosnahan. Williams sued Romanowski for damaging his mental health and career with a punch thrown so hard it fractured his left eye socket.
Brosnahan called Romanowski to the witness stand to explain the punch that dropped Williams to his knees on a practice field at the Raiders' Alameda training facility Aug. 24, 2003.
The men were teammates taking part in a grueling training session under the eyes of coaches stinging from an embarrassing defeat in the previous Super Bowl.
Brosnahan showed a clip of the play in which Williams blocked Romanowski, shoving him out of bounds. Romanowski maintained that Williams held him during the play and pushed him in the back, an offense that triggered the confrontation.
"There
was a fight that broke out," Romanowski said of what happened next. "I don't know how hard I punched him; we were in the middle of a fight."
Romanowski said that since his days as a Connecticut high school football player determined to win a sports scholarship to college, he has been committed to proving himself every season. He was courted by several colleges and accepted a football scholarship to Boston College.
Romanowski wept as he recounted feeling humiliated standing in a "yellow jersey" with benched players on one side of the Boston College football field while starting players in team jerseys lined up on the other side. He told of walking from the field to hide his tears.
"I didn't want them to see me cry," Romanowski said, "and here I am crying in front of you guys."
Romanowski got in the starting lineup by playing as intensely in practices as he did in real games, he said.
Romanowski said his mind-set through his 16 years as a player in the National Football League was that you gave your
all in practice as well as during games.
"I may not be the biggest guy out there ... the strongest ... the fastest," Romanowski said. "But there is no one on the field who is going to outwork me."
If former San Francisco 49er Jerry Rice ran a ball into the end zone with each caught pass at practice, Romanowski would prove himself by chasing him down each time, he said. Romanowski recounted former 49er defensive back Ronnie Lott seeing him get shoved from behind on a play, then sternly warning that if he let himself "be punked" like that once without doing anything about it, Romanowski would "be punked" routinely.
Romanowski said the lesson of not tolerating cheap shots was a factor in his reaction that led to a fight with Williams. Romanowski said he didn't recollect many details of the brief clash, but it seemed to him he and Williams grabbed each other's helmets. Romanowski said Williams' helmet seemed to come off as his fist reached Williams' head.
Brosnahan contends Williams had tossed up his hands in surrender, but Romanowski
yanked off Williams' helmet and punched him.
Brosnahan asked Romanowski about a book he was co-authoring, "Bill Romanowski: My Jekyll and Hyde Life," and projected the tentative cover onto a wall screen in court.
"You had this family man off the field, with a wife and two kids," Romanowski said, choking with emotion, after Brosnahan pressed him to explain what the title meant. "This so-called warrior on the field.
"It was hard," he explained. "Off the field, I feel I am a pretty easy-going guy."
Romanowski said he had to balance his "mild-mannered" off-field persona with the formidable defensive player who became "a target" for others out to prove themselves.
Romanowski stood at one point to re-enact with Brosnahan how he turned to face Williams after the practice play.
Earlier Tuesday, trainer Joseph Keppard told jurors Williams is in better shape now than he was when he played for the Raiders. Keppard said he trained Williams at a Bally's gym in San Leandro.
"My workout routine is designed to
put them through hell," Keppard said after stepping from the courtroom. "If he could work out with me, he could handle the NFL."
Romanowski, dressed in a sand-colored suit over a blue crew-neck shirt, gestured at times while answering questions about football field clashes that resulted in his being fined by league officials. Brosnahan played clips of the hits as well as recordings of Romanowski telling reporters he holds himself accountable for what happened to Williams.
"Football is a tense, rough, violent sport," Romanowski said while telling of the tens of thousands of dollars he has paid in fines during his career. "There are things that happen out there you get fined for."
Romanowski confirmed he was given a few acting tips as part of filming a remake of "The Longest Yard" with comedian Adam Sandler, but maintained he was being genuine with jurors in court Tuesday. The film is to be released later this year, Romanowski said.
"I got to play what I was doing the last 27 years of my life," Romanowski said of his
speaking role in the film.
He also summed up once doing a commercial for a piece of exercise equipment by saying "they grease you up, tell you what to say, and you smile."
The day finished with Brosnahan renewing his interrogation of Romanowski, who had also answered questions from his lawyer, Jeffrey Springer. Romanowski said the cumulative effect of eight concussions resulted in his ending his football career in 2003. Brosnahan vowed to challenge that assertion when questioning resumes today in the courtroom of Alameda County Superior Court Judge Cecelia Castellanos.
|
RETURN TO TOP
