Roger Clemens showed his face Sunday for the first time since the Mitchell report came out Dec. 13. The seven-time Cy Young Award winner emphasized that he would keep showing his face, as often as necessary, to defend his damaged reputation.
Next up: reporter Mike Wallace and “60 Minutes,” in an interview to be aired Jan. 6.
In a taped message posted on his foundation’s Web site and youtube.com, Clemens denied the testimony of his former trainer, Brian McNamee, that he repeatedly used steroids and human growth hormone in 1998, 2000 and 2001. Previously, Clemens’ attorney had denied the charges, and Clemens had done so in a written statement through agent Randy Hendricks.
Looking directly into the camera in front of him, the 354-game winner said, “Let me be clear: The answer is no, I did not use steroids, human growth hormone, and I’ve never done so.”
Most interestingly, Clemens said he would sit down shortly with Wallace “and he’ll ask me a ton of questions on this subject, and I’ll answer them right there in front of him, and we’ll do all of this again.”
The message, taped at Clemens’ home in Katy, Texas, lasts 1 minute 48 seconds and features the 45-year-old seated in front of a “Roger Clemens 300 wins” logo, put together back in 2003 when Clemens attained that milestone.
Clemens comes off as nervous and emotional in the brief statement, and his words back up those sentiments.
“I’m almost numb to some of these suggestions that I would even use steroids,” Clemens said.
“It’s amazing to me that I’m going to the lengths I’m going to defend myself. I faced this last year when the L.A. Times reported that I used steroids. I said it was not true then. And now the world knows it’s not true, now that that’s come out.”
On Thursday, a publicly released affidavit from the April 2006 questioning of former Yankees pitcher Jason Grimsley proved that Grimsley did not accuse Clemens of steroid use, as the Los Angeles Times reported in October 2006.
Clemens continued: “I did not provide Brian McNamee with any drugs to inject into my body. Brian McNamee did not inject steroids or human growth hormone into my body, either when I played in Toronto for the Blue Jays or the New York Yankees. This report is simply not true.”
Joe Householder, a spokesman for Clemens’ attorney, Houston-based Rusty Hardin, said the pitcher had received myriad invitations for an interview.
Clemens might have chosen Wallace because of his comfort level with him. Wallace, 89, did a piece on Clemens in 2001.
In concluding his statement, Clemens described himself as “angry about it” and the report as “hurtful to me and my family. But we’re coming up on Christmas now. I have been blessed in my life. I’ve been blessed in my career. I’m very thankful for these blessings.”
