As reported in multiple media outlets, a federal grand jury indicted former New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens on charges of making false statements to Congress about his use of performance-enhancing drugs.
The indictment charges Clemens with one count of obstruction of Congress, three counts of making false statements and two counts of perjury in connection with his testimony before a bipartisan House committee in February 2008.
Clemens’ fall from grace began when his name was mentioned 82 times, second only to Jose Canseco, in the Mitchell Report on steroid use in baseball. In the report, Brian McNamee, hired by Clemens in 1998 to be his personal strength coach, stated during the 1998, 2000, and 2001 baseball seasons, he injected Clemens with Winstrol, a synthetic anabolic steroid derived from testosterone.
And although former teammate and Yankees starting pitcher Andy Pettitte corroborated McNamee’s statements and testimony before the House oversight committee, Clemens vehemently denied his use of steroids; a stance the seven-time Cy Young Award winner maintained when summoned to formally respond to the stinging accusations.
In a Washington federal court on Monday, Clemens pleaded not guilty to all six counts of perjuring himself before Congress. Subsequently, United States District Judge Reggie Walton set a date of April 5, 2011 to begin the proceedings of a trial that could culminate in a crash landing for ‘The Rocket’.
If convicted on all six counts, Clemens could face up to 30 years in prison and a $1.5 million fine, although 15-21 months would be the more likely sentence under United States sentencing guidelines.
However, even if exonerated in federal court, the man who amassed 354 wins and 4,672 strikeouts during a stellar 24-year career will always have a verdict of guilty rendered against him in the court of public opinion.
Therefore, this is a far cry from a case of innocent until proven guilty or guilty until proven innocent. This is a classic demonstration of guilty even if the charges can’t be proved in a court of law; with the ultimate result being a wanton lack of appreciation for what Clemens accomplished on the field by baseball writers and fans alike.
Don Sutton, Gaylord Perry, Phil Niekro and even Yankees great Whitey Ford pitched with surgical precision on the mound during their respective careers, but they were equally notorious for illegally ‘doctoring’ and/or ‘loading’ baseballs to achieve extremely favorable results.
Yet all four hurlers were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame while their history of subterfuge is considered virtually laughable in the annals of baseball. And these are proven cheaters of the game.
But, despite the absolution of the aforementioned transgressors, the reality of the situation for Roger Clemens is he will never find true justice because the court of public opinion has already convicted him with no possibility of a retrial.
His name will no longer receive the adulation and respect it did less than five years ago and the doors of the Hall of Fame will remain closed to the 11-time All-Star for as long as they remain locked to the likes of Pete Rose.
However, when it comes to casting judgment on ‘The Rocket’, anything short of a confession, a conviction in a court of law or the discovery of irrefutable evidence that Clemens used performance-enhancing drugs should be considered a prejudiced and premature conclusion.
Unfortunately, hypocrisy has blinded those within the circles of Major League Baseball to the fact that it has cheated justice throughout history as much as the individuals it has disowned for allegedly cheating the game.
Click here to read the original article on Examiner.com, which includes relevant links and a special video report on the plea made by Roger Clemens in federal court.
Roger Clemens' pleas fall on deaf ears in court of public opinion
