WASHINGTON — Baseball pitching great Roger Clemens and his
former trainer Brian McNamee clashed under oath at a US congressional hearing
on Wednesday over the latter’s claims he injected the former with illegal
performance-enhancing drugs.
Sitting together at a witness table but avoiding eye
contact, Clemens again denied ever taking such substances and McNamee insisted
he did – while lawmakers questioned the veracity of both men.
At the start of a packed hearing, Clemens was confronted
with a sworn statement by former teammate and longtime friend Andy Pettitte
that Clemens told him in 1999 or 2000 that he had used human growth hormone.
"I think he misremembers... our conversation," Clemens told
the House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Lawmakers voiced skepticism of Clemens as well as McNamee,
noting McNamee failed to initially level with investigators examining use of
steroids in baseball.
"You lie when it’s just convenient for you," Rep. Dan
Burton, and Indiana Republican, told him. "I don’t know what to believe. I know
one thing I don’t believe, and that’s you."
The stakes at the nationally televised hearing were high. If
either Clemens or McNamee is found to have lied to Congress, they could face up
to five years in prison.
Clemens’ reputation as one of the greatest pitchers ever in
America’s national pastime is also on the line, while McNamee faces a
defamation-of-character lawsuit filed by his former client.
Near the end of the more hearing that lasted more than four
hours, Rep. Elijah Cummings, a Maryland Democrat, told Clemens: "You are one of
my heroes. But it’s hard to believe you."
Allegations Clemens used steroids were first made by McNamee
in an investigative report requested by Major League Baseball, conducted by
former Senate Democratic leader George Mitchell and released in December.
