Roger Clemens

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Roger Clemens : biography

August 4, 1962 –

Clemens faced steroid scrutiny when it was reported that pitcher Jason Grimsley had named him, as well as Andy Pettitte, as a user of performance enhancing drugs. According to a 20-page search warrant affidavit signed by IRS Special Agent Jeff Novitzky, Grimsley told investigators he obtained amphetamines, anabolic steroids and human growth hormone from someone recommended to him by former Yankees trainer Brian McNamee. McNamee was a personal strength coach for Clemens and Pettitte, hired by Clemens in 1998. At the time of the Grimsley revelations, McNamee denied knowledge of steroid use by Clemens and Pettitte. ESPN.com, Nov. 14, 2006 Despite initial media reports, the affidavit made no mention of Clemens or Pettitte. ESPN.com, Nov. 14, 2006

However, Clemens’ name was mentioned 82 times in the Mitchell Report on steroid use in baseball. MSNBC.com In the report, McNamee stated that during the , , and baseball seasons, he injected Clemens with Winstrol. Clemens’ attorney Rusty Hardin denied the claims, calling McNamee "a troubled and unreliable witness" who has changed his story five times in an attempt to avoid criminal prosecution. He noted that Clemens has never tested positive in a steroid test. Former U.S. Senator George Mitchell, who prepared the report, stated that he relayed the allegations to each athlete implicated in the report and gave them a chance to respond before his findings were published.

On January 6, 2008, Clemens appeared on 60 Minutes to address the allegations. He told Mike Wallace that his longevity in baseball was due to "hard work" rather than illegal substances and denied all of McNamee’s assertions that he injected Clemens with steroids, saying that they "never happened". CBSNews.com, Jan. 6, 2008 On January 7, Clemens filed a defamation lawsuit against McNamee, claiming that the former trainer lied after being threatened with prosecution. McNamee’s attorneys argued that McNamee was compelled to cooperate by federal officials and thus his statements were protected. A federal judge agreed, throwing out all claims related to McNamee’s statements to investigators on February 13, 2009 but allowing the case to proceed on statements McNamee made about Clemens to Pettitte.

On February 13, 2008, Clemens appeared before a Congressional committee, along with Brian McNamee, and swore under oath that he did not take steroids; that he did not discuss HGH with McNamee; that he was not at a party at José Canseco’s where steroids were the topic of conversation; that he was only injected with B-12 and lidocaine; and that he never told Pettitte that he had taken HGH. This last point was in contradiction to testimony Pettite had given under oath on February 4, 2008, wherein Pettitte said he repeated to McNamee a conversation Pettitte had with Clemens. During this conversation, Pettitte said Clemens had told him that McNamee had injected Clemens with human growth hormone. Pettitte said McNamee reacted angrily, saying that Clemens "shouldn’t have done that."

The bipartisan House committee in front of which Clemens appeared, citing seven apparent inconsistencies in Clemens’ testimony, recommended that the Justice Department investigate whether Clemens lied under oath about using performance-enhancing drugs. In a letter sent out February 27 to Attorney General Michael Mukasey, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Henry Waxman and ranking Republican Tom Davis said Clemens’ testimony that he "never used anabolic steroids or human growth hormone warrants further investigation".

As a result of the Mitchell Report, Clemens has been asked to end his involvement with the Giff Nielsen Day of Golf for Kids charity golf tournament in Houston that he has hosted for four years. As well, his name has been removed from the Houston-based Roger Clemens Institute for Sports Medicine; it will be renamed the Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute. ESPN.com, December 27, 2008

After Washington prosecutors showed "a renewed interest in the case in the final months of 2008," a federal grand jury was convened in January 2009 to hear evidence of Clemens’ possible perjury before Congress. The grand jury indicted Clemens on August 19, 2010 on charges of making false statements to Congress about his use of performance-enhancing drugs. The indictment charges Clemens with one count of obstruction of Congress, three counts of making false statements and two counts of perjury in connection with his February 2008 testimony.