Roger Clemens Indicted On Lying To Congress
A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens for allegedly lying to Congress about using steroids.
Clemens, the former major league pitcher embroiled in a steroid scandal, has been charged with one count of obstruction of the U.S. Congress, false statements and perjury, according to court papers filed Thursday.
Roger Clemens' Indictment (.pdf format)
Earlier Thursday, the New York Times reported that Clemens would be indicted by federal authorities on charges that he made false statements to Congress. The Times cited two sources close to the investigation.
Clemens testified under oath before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in February 2008, denying claims from his former trainer, Brian McNamee, that the he used performance-enchancing drugs during his playing career. McNamee testified under oath at the same hearing, cooperating with federal investigators in order to avoid charges of steroid distribution.
McNamee has told federal agents, baseball investigator George Mitchell and the committee that he injected Clemens more than a dozen times with steroids and human growth hormone from 1998 to 2001.
The hearings took place just two months after the Mitchell report on steroids in baseball linked the former Red Sox and Yankees star to performance-enhancing drugs.
Clemens has maintained that McNamee was lying.
Clemens' attorney, Rusty Hardin, said by telephone from Houston that he had just learned of the indictment and would wait to decide whether to comment.
The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton, the judge who presided over the perjury and obstruction trial of Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. No date has been set for Clemens' initial court appearance.
In a defiant appearance before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in 2008, Clemens said, "I've been accused of something I'm not guilty of ... I have never taken steroids or HGH."
Longtime Clemens friend and pitching star Andy Pettite told congressional investigators that Clemens confided to him that he had used human growth hormone. Clemens said Pettite's assertion wasn't correct.
"I believe Andy has misheard" the conversation, Clemens responded. He said he had simply mentioned to Pettite a TV show about three older men who used HGH to get back their quality of life.
Clemens' MLB career spanned 24 years. He played for the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros and New York Yankees. In addition to two championship rings with the 1999 and 2000 New York Yankees, Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, an MVP and two pitching triple crowns. An 11 time All-Star, Clemens took the All-Star MVP in 1986, the same year he won the American League MVP award.
Clemens' final MLB appearance was with the Yankees in 2007. Clemens was removed from the lineup after he reaggravated a hamstring injury.
The pitcher gave an exclusive interview to 60 Minutes correspondent Mike Wallace in 2008, where he vehemently mainatained his trainer only injected him with legal drugs.
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