Roger Clemens, one of the greatest pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball, was arraigned on Monday after he was charged with lying to Congress during a 2008 hearing over steroid use.
Standing before U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton, Clemens entered a plea of “not guilty” and was given an April 5, 2011 trail date.
Clemens is charged with one count of obstruction of Congress, three counts of making false statements and two counts of perjury for his testimony during the 2008 congressional query into a report on steroid use in baseball written by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell.
The seven-time Cy Young Award winner faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1.5 million fine if found guilty of the charges. However, as a first-time offender Clemens would more likely face a sentence of 15 to 21 months if convicted.
Clemens, like former baseball great Pete Rose, compiled statistics during his illustrious career that would have made him a virtual lock to be enshrined in MLB’s Hall of Fame.
Just as Rose denied that he gambled on baseball, Clemens continues to deny allegations that he knowingly used banned substances despite testimony to the contrary from former teammate Andy Pettitte and former assistant strength coach Brian McNamee.
Rose’s persistent denial got him banned from baseball for life and also cost him a chance to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
In 2004, Rose finally acknowledged in his autobiography that he made wagers while managing the Cincinnati Reds, and in 2007 admitted to betting on the Reds “every night.”
Unlike Rose, Clemens hasn’t been banned from baseball. But if he’s found guilty on any of the counts brought against him, the chances of him ever being inducted into the Hall of Fame would become remote.
And Clemens’ trail will extend beyond the charges against him, opening a door that would highlight widespread steroid use among many of MLB’s biggest stars.
In essence, Clemens not only has to defend himself against allegations he lied to Congress, but he’ll also be on trail for being part of baseball’s most glaring scandal since Rose’s gambling problems surfaced.
Whether it was intentional or not, the April 5 trail date set by Judge Walton just happens to coincide with the start of a new baseball season.
Instead of focusing all of its coverage on beginning the 2011 MLB season, the media will justifiably give more attention to Clemens’ trail, something commissioner Bud Selig can’t be too happy about.
Perhaps the most interesting component of Clemens’ trail will be the testimony of his former teammate Andy Pettitte.
Clemens may be able to avoid a guilty verdict if his attorneys can give the jury reasonable doubt that Pettitte either lied or misunderstood a conversation the two had in 1999 or 2000.
Pettitte submitted an affidavit as part of a 2008 hearing by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Governmental Reform, claiming that Clemens told him in 1999 or 2000 that he used Human Growth Hormone.
Clemens claims Pettitte “misremembered” the conversation, alleging that what Pettitte really heard was Clemens’ reporting of his wife’s use of HGH at that time.
Regardless if Clemens is completely exonerated of all charges, he will discover – just as Pete Rose discovered – that his reputation and legacy will forever be tarnished.
Even complete exoneration won’t save him in the court of public opinion – especially in the eyes of those who cast Hall of Fame ballots.
Clemens will be in the not-so-select company of Rose, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro and others who may never be inducted into the Hall of Fame, a dubious distinction none of them would like to share.
Poor decisions during their playing careers will more than likely cost all of them for a lifetime, and for Roger Clemens the price may also include jail time.
