You all must be kidding. As a former college face-off (not fogo, back in the 90's we stayed on the field) player, having your stick bend to the point of drawing a penalty would never be considered "cheating" by those who play the game. It's no more cheating than slashing an opponent. It's a PENALTY - not cheating.
Cheating is playing with an ineligible player, paying off a ref, etc.
I have coached youth lax for 20 years now and have never seen or even heard of a player (FOGO or anyone else) intentionally using a stick that would draw a penalty. They might not know (they should), it might bend too much during the game, or it might even be illegal before the games starts. But to think someone would do that on purpose is nonsense. The refs are standing over the sticks and you know they will check a stick if it looks illegal. Especially FOGO's. When the Big Cat (Towson's FOGO) got 2 illegal stick penalties in the same game (back in the pinch-and-pop days) nobody said he was cheating! He was called a lot of things (dumb, Goat, least favorite coaches player that day) but cheater wasn't one of them. There is no chance he was intentionally using an illegal stick (pinched before being strung).
Same with Steve G from UNC - FOGO who had a full page color picture in Lacrosse Magazine showing the ball in his hand on a face-off when he grabbed it and rolled it back between his legs (I asked him to show me how to do it so quickly but I could never replicate). We didn't call it cheating - we said he got away with one!
So grow up, ask someone who has played the game and the position, and realize that while an illegal stick may be an advantage, it's the refs and other teams job to ask for a check if they think so. And if it is illegal, it's just a penalty - part of the normal course of a game, just like a slash or offsides.
