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02/05/2008 3:00 PM ET
Clemens denies use in sworn testimony
Testifies for five-plus hours; set to face full committee Feb. 13
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com










WASHINGTON -- After several strong denials in the wake of accusations levied in the Mitchell Report, Roger Clemens had his opportunity to issue another on Tuesday -- this time, under oath.
The seven-time Cy Young Award winner spent more than five hours before lawyers of a congressional committee investigating the use of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball, providing a sworn deposition just one day after former teammate Andy Pettitte offered his own testimony.

Appearing cool and collected, Clemens made a brief statement after exiting the closed-door meeting at 2:40 p.m. ET, declining to take questions from reporters.

"I just want to thank the committee, the staff that I just met with," Clemens said. "They were very courteous. It was great to be able to tell them what I've been saying all along -- that I never used steroids or [human] growth hormone. I look forward to being here, I guess, in this room next week."

Clemens entered Room 2154 of the Rayburn House Office Building at 9:25 a.m. ET, wearing a pinstriped gray suit, a pink dress shirt and red tie, clutching a cup of tea and sporting a close-cropped haircut. He was accompanied by two attorneys.

Before passing through a doorway, Clemens paused and examined the offices of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, saying, "It's beautiful."

If Clemens was immediately struck by the wood-paneled room, highlighted by seven oil paintings of former House leaders, he may soon have ample time to examine its high ceilings and ornate dressings. Clemens is scheduled to return to the nation's capital for the committee's hearings on Feb. 13, when he will sit in the same room along with Pettitte, former teammate Chuck Knoblauch and former trainer Brian McNamee.

The Capitol Hill appearance was the latest venue for Clemens to deny using performance-enhancing substances during a 23-year Major League career that saw him win 354 games, ranking eighth on baseball's all-time list.

The 45-year-old's credentials for induction into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., have been clouded by claims made by McNamee to former Sen. George Mitchell for his landmark Report, which was released in December and contained nearly nine pages pertaining to Clemens alone.

McNamee alleged that Clemens used both steroids and HGH over a period of his career beginning in 1998, when he was pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays, and continuing into his service with the New York Yankees. McNamee claimed that he personally injected Clemens with those substances on more than a dozen occasions.

Clemens denied the accusations almost immediately after the Report's release through his lawyers, and also appeared with Mike Wallace on CBS' "60 Minutes" to refute the claims. Clemens held a sometimes-contentious press conference near his Houston home in January, which included the exhibition of a taped telephone call between him and McNamee.

While he has not denied receiving injections from McNamee, Clemens said that the substances were vitamin B-12 and Lidocaine, a painkiller.

Clemens is the third Major League player to testify under oath before the congressional committee, following Pettitte on Monday and Knoblauch last Friday. All three were fingered in the Mitchell Report by McNamee, who is scheduled to appear on Thursday.

Because Pettitte publicly admitted McNamee's claims that he used human growth hormone on two occasions during the 2002 season while recuperating from injury, it is believed that the committee was more interested in hearing about conversations that may have taken place between Clemens and Pettitte -- close friends who trained together often year-round -- relating to performance-enhancing drugs.

Former New York Mets clubhouse employee Kirk Radomski is also scheduled to offer testimony leading up to a hearing on Capitol Hill on Feb. 13, when all five individuals are expected to be present. The Oversight Committee will also hold a hearing on Feb. 12 titled "Myths and Facts about Human Growth Hormone, B-12 and Other Substances."

Clemens returned to the Major Leagues in 2007 for what he now has said will be his final season of competition. The hurler announced his return to the Yankees on May 6 in ceremonious fashion, appearing in owner George Steinbrenner's private box during the seventh-inning stretch of a game at Yankee Stadium and agreeing to terms on a pro-rated $28 million contract.

But the Yankees' returns on the deal were underwhelming, considering the investment -- after debuting on June 9 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Clemens was just 6-6 with a 4.18 ERA in 17 starts (18 appearances) and left a start in Game 3 of the American League Division Series -- perhaps his final appearance on a Major League mound -- due to injury.


Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.