Clemens Plays Hardball, Denies All Doping Charges
Waxman and Clemens both throwing hard balls at hearing.
WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 13, 2008 — -- Superstar pitcher Roger Clemens got hit hard when he went to the Hill today and denied under oath that he had ever used performance enhancing drugs. He also said that he was "shocked" to learn that teammate and pal Andy Pettitte had used human growth hormone.
Clemens' claim of innocence was quickly questioned by several Congress members, Clemens' former trainer and chief accuser Brian McNamee and most seriously by Pettitte.
"We found conflict and inconsistencies in Clemens' account … statements in his deposition that were not true … simply implausible, or contradicted statements from other witnesses," said panel chairman Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif.
CLICK HERE TO READ ROGER CLEMENS' OPENING STATEMENT
Perhaps most damaging to Clemens was the deposition that Pettitte gave to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, stating that Clemens once had admitted he used HGH. Pettitte said the conversation occurred in 1999 or 2000 in Clemens' gym.
Waxman began the hearing by reading Pettitte's quotes aloud, including Pettitte recalling how Clemens explained that "he did tell me that it helped the body recover." Clemens later told Pettitte that he must be mistaken in his recollection and that he had been talking about his wife using the drug.
Sitting at the same table with Clemens, McNamee told the panel, "I injected those drugs into Roger Clemens at his direction." Citing needles he says were allegedly used on Clemens, McNamee said, "This evidence is 100 percent authentic and DNA analysis should bear this out." He has turned them over to federal prosecutors.
The former trainer added, "While I like and admired Roger Clemens, I don't think I ever really trusted him."
Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., summed up the confrontation when he said, "Someone is lying in spectacular fashion."
After nearly five hours of testimony, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., told the packed hearing room, "The person I believe most is Mr. Pettitte." Speaking directly to Clemens, Cummings added, "You're one of my heroes, but it's hard to believe."
A committee source told ABC News that no decision had been made regarding whether the panel would refer perjury charges to the Department of Justice if it determined that Clemens and McNamee had lied while under oath.
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