Jerry Rice admits to placing illegal adhesive on gloves during playing career

Jerry Rice is often lauded as the greatest wide receiver of all time, but he may have used illegal methods to reach his stratospheric heights. 

Rice told ESPN's Jim Trotter that he placed Stickum, a type of adhesive that makes footballs easier to catch, on his gloves during his career. 

Stickum was banned from the NFL in 1981 after Lester Hayes continued to use it through the first four years of his career, en route to capturing Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1980. 

"I know this might be a little illegal, guys," Rice said, "but you put a little spray, a little Stickum on (your gloves), to make sure that texture is a little sticky."

Rice won three Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers, was named to the Pro Bowl 13 times and is the all-time leader in almost every major statistical category for wide receivers. 

NFL Network named Rice the greatest player of all time in 2010.