The Wall Street Journal-20080214-Clemens Tells Lawmakers Pettitte -Misremembered-
Return to: The_Wall_Street_Journal-20080214
Clemens Tells Lawmakers Pettitte 'Misremembered'
Full Text (434 words)Confronted with new and damaging testimony from a longtime teammate and friend about performance-enhancing drugs, baseball star Roger Clemens told a congressional panel yesterday that the accuser, Andy Pettitte, had "misremembered" events.
Mr. Clemens, who played for the New York Yankees in 2007 and is considered one of Major League Baseball's all-time greatest pitchers, reiterated his claim that he never used steroids or human growth hormone. But yesterday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee disclosed that Mr. Pettitte had given a sworn affidavit to congressional investigators last week that included the claim that Mr. Clemens had discussed as far back as a decade ago taking performance- enhancing drugs.
Sitting two seats away during the hearing was Brian McNamee, a former personal trainer for Mr. Clemens whose claims that he injected the pitcher with performance-enhancing drugs on multiple occasions between 1998 and 2001 helped prompt the hearings. The panel members grilled Messrs. Clemens and McNamee for more than four hours.
The hearing occurred on the same day major-league players began reporting for spring training. The sport is trying to overcome a winter where steroids dominated the headlines. Mr. Clemens's potential involvement moved into the spotlight after former Sen. George Mitchell issued a report in December on drug use in baseball. Mr. McNamee was one of the linchpin witnesses for the report, which named dozens of players that it alleged have used performance-enhancing drugs.
Mr. Pettitte was excused from appearing at the hearing, as was another former Yankee, Chuck Knoblauch. Both have corroborated Mr. McNamee's accounts. In light of that and other apparent inconsistencies, many on the congressional panel cast doubt on Mr. Clemens's testimony. Rep. Elijah Cummings, a Maryland Democrat, told the pitcher late in the hearing, "You're one of my heroes, but it's hard to believe you."
Mr. McNamee's credibility also came under scrutiny. Rep. Dan Burton, an Indiana Republican, listed past statements that Mr. McNamee admitted yesterday were untrue, before saying, "I don't know what to believe. I know one thing I don't believe and that's you."
Mr. McNamee's answers were generally quick and concise. "I want to be clear that what I did was wrong . . . I have helped taint our national pastime," Mr. McNamee said. "Make no mistake: When I told Sen. Mitchell that I injected Roger Clemens with performance-enhancing drugs, I told the truth."
After the hearing, Rep. Henry Waxman, the California Democrat who chairs the committee, told reporters he hadn't reached any conclusions on whether Mr. Clemens would be referred to the Justice Department for possible criminal charges.
---
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
