NEW YORK (AFP) — Roger Clemens, the most prominent player named in a Major League Baseball's probe into steroids, denied allegations by his ex-trainer Brian McNamee that he ever used performance-enhancing drugs.
The seven-time Cy Young Award winner made his first comments Tuesday, five days after the release of the Mitchell Report that named 86 players who used performance-enhancing drugs.
"I want to state clearly and without qualification: I did not take steroids, human growth hormone or any other banned substances at any time in my baseball career or, in fact, my entire life," said Clemens in a statement through his agent Randy Hendricks. "Those substances represent a dangerous and destructive shortcut no athlete should ever take."
Renowned as one of the best power pitchers in baseball history, the 45-year-old Clemens was referenced 82 times in the report.
He owns a career record of 354-194 with a 3.12 ERA and 4,672 strikeouts in 24 seasons with the Yankees, Blue Jays, Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox.
Clemens, who helped the New York Yankees win World Series titles in 1999 and 2000, was the most prominent player swept up in the 21-month investigation that served as an indictment for baseball's rampant steroid use.
Former Senator Majority Leader George Mitchell listed in his report that McNamee said he injected Clemens with steroids in 1998 while with the Toronto Blue Jays, and steroids and human growth hormone in 2000 and 2001 while the righthander was with the Yankees.
"I am disappointed that my 25 years in public life have apparently not earned me the benefit of the doubt," Clemens said. "But I understand Senator Mitchell's report has raised many serious questions.
"I plan to publicly answer all of those questions at the appropriate time in the appropriate way. I only ask that in the meantime people not rush to judgment."
The Mitchell Report stated that McNamee injected Clemens four times with Winstrol - an anabolic steroid - during the 1998 season, one of his two Cy Young campaigns with the Blue Jays.
"According to McNamee, from the time that McNamee injected Clemens with Winstrol through the end of the 1998 season, Clemens' performance showed remarkable improvement," the report said.
"During this period of improved performance, Clemens told McNamee that the steroids 'had a pretty good effect' on him."
McNamee was hired by the Yankees prior to the 2000 season at the request of Clemens, who was traded to New York in 1999.
According to the report, McNamee supplied Clemens with performance enhancers acquired from Kirk Radomski, a former clubhouse attendant with the New York Mets.
"According to McNamee, during the middle of the 2000 season, Clemens made it clear that he was ready to use steroids again," the report said.
"During the latter part of the regular season, McNamee injected Clemens in the buttocks four to six times with testosterone from a bottle labeled either Sustanon 250 or Deca-Durabolin that McNamee had obtained from Radomski."
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