In no uncertain terms, Roger Clemens's lawyer unloaded on the Mitchell Report. (and somewhere in Kew Jersey, dog bites man) Clemens's lawyer had this to say in CNN:
Clemens, considered a shoo-in for the Baseball Hall of Fame someday, was prominently featured in the report on performance-enhancing drugs that former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell released Thursday.
"Roger Clemens adamantly, vehemently, and whatever other adjectives can be used, denies that he has ever used steroids or ... improper substances," Clemens' attorney, Rusty Hardin, said Thursday.
"He is really, really concerned and upset that he has been named in this report. It's based on the allegations, apparently, of a trainer that he's had in the past. ... That's not a standard someone should be held out in public to have done something as serious as using steroids in baseball."
The quote comes from his lawyer...a complete denial of what Mitchell documented (from CNN):
McNamee "injected Clemens approximately four times in the buttocks over a several-week period with needles that Clemens provided," the report said. It said Clemens' pitching improved during that time.
"During this period of improved performance, Clemens told McNamee that the steroids 'had a pretty good effect' on him," the report said.
The report said McNamee also injected Clemens with testosterone and human growth hormone after Clemens moved to the New York Yankees in 2000.
However the following statement hedges some:
"Roger has been repeatedly tested for these substances and he has never tested positive," Hardin said in a statement. "There has never been one shred of tangible evidence that he ever used these substances and yet he is being slandered today."
No one said Roger Clemens tested positive for steroids. So do we have the same old denials? Do athlete denials mean anything anymore? There is no consequence for lying to the press or public. Re: Marion Jones:
Marion Jones: Life in the Fast Lane. Taking up all of page 173 in large red letters, she wrote: I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN UNEQUIVOCAL IN MY OPINION: I AM AGAINST PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUGS. I HAVE NEVER TAKEN THEM AND I NEVER WILL TAKE THEM.
So another day another athlete denial. Marion Jones even sued people who accused her of steroid use.
Seems like the only 'truth serum' that exists, is the threat of a long stay at a federal pen.
One would think Clemens could afford to hire a lawyer that knows the difference between an adjective and an adverb.
Posted by: Roadrunner | 12/23/2007 at 15:25