Roger Clemens says McNamee injected him with lidocaine and B-12
In '60 Minutes' interview, Roger Clemens says McNamee injected him with lidocaine and B-12
By RONALD BLUM, AP Baseball Writer
January 3, 2008
AP - Jan 3, 4:46 pm EST
More Photos
NEW YORK (AP) -- Roger Clemens said former trainer Brian McNamee injected him with the painkiller lidocaine and the vitamin B-12 -- not any performance-enhancing drugs.
In the first excerpts released from the pitcher's interview with CBS's "60 Minutes," which is to be broadcast Sunday night, Clemens maintained the denials he has issued since McNamee implicated him in the Mitchell report on doping in baseball, which was released Dec. 13.
McNamee, a former strength coach for the Blue Jays and Yankees, told Mitchell he personally injected Clemens with steroids in 1998 while they were with Toronto, and with steroids and human growth hormone in 2000 and 2001 while with New York.
"Roger took bunches of his shots over his career, much the way racehorses do, unfortunately," Clemens' lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said after the excepts were released Thursday.
Clemens issued a video statement on Dec. 23 denying McNamee's accusations and plans to hold a news conference Monday. Clemens did not mention injections of painkillers or vitamins.
ADVERTISEMENT
"That short statement didn't go into any details and simply told the public at large he did not take steroids or any other performance-enhancing drugs. That's never been a contention of his," Hardin said.
"The reason he hasn't stepped out personally before now was really our decision, not his, and that was to more deliberately look into how in the world the Mitchell report could have reached what we believe was this totally wrong conclusion before we started talking out. Now we're more comfortable with all of that, and he's going to answer whatever questions they have."
During the CBS interview, recorded last Friday at Clemens' home in Katy, Texas, Clemens was asked whether McNamee had injected him with any drugs.
"Lidocaine and B-12," Clemens responded. "It's for my joints, and B-12 I still take today."
Lidocaine is a local anesthetic that can be used by dentists and in minor surgery. It also is available as part of ointments used to treat skin inflammation.
Clemens told CBS that McNamee's accusation was "ridiculous" and said he "never" used banned substances.
"Swear?" CBS's Mike Wallace asked Clemens.
"Swear," Clemens responded.
Baseball players and owners did not have an agreement to ban steroids until September 2002, and they didn't ban HGH until January 2005.
The Mitchell report states McNamee injected Clemens with substances provided by the pitcher or that McNamee obtained from former Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski. In his video statement, Clemens said: "I did not provide Brian McNamee with any drugs to inject into my body. Brian McNamee did not inject steroids or human growth hormones into my body."
McNamee's lawyer, Richard Emery, has threatened to sue the seven-time Cy Young Award winner for defamation.
"I think that this is a lawyers' game, which allows him to try and attempt to say that McNamee didn't know what he was injecting or that at least Clemens didn't know what he was injecting," Emery said.
"It really depends now on how the whole interview goes, and whether he goes after Brian. Look, I don't care whether Clemens used Sodium Pentothal. I don't care if he used strontium 90. My only concern is for Brian's well-being and his future."
Emery said a decision whether to sue won't be made until after the "60 Minutes" interview is broadcast.
"It really depends on what a reasonable person would take away from the entire interview as to whether he's going to damage Brian. And we can't tell until what we see happens on Sunday," Emery said. "But it is fascinating. I think that Hardin and Clemens are responding to the fact that McNamee is going to defend himself aggressively by them trying to parse this closely and issue this statement through CBS. So it's fascinating, and I'm glad to see that they are responding to Brian's notice to them that he is not going to be trashed by them."
When Baltimore's Rafael Palmeiro tested positive for steroids in 2005 and was suspended for 10 days, he said a tainted vial of B-12 given to him by a teammate -- later identified as Miguel Tejada -- might have caused the doping violation.
Emery wouldn't say whether McNamee did inject Clemens with lidocaine and B-12.
"That's much too specific. That evidence has yet to be developed," he said. "There is a ton of evidence that the Mitchell report failed to explore that will corroborate Brian, and so it would be foolhardy for Clemens or Hardin to allow Clemens to trash Brian."
Emery said it was unlikely McNamee would sue CBS. He also hasn't decided whether a suit would be filed in New York state court or federal court.
"Either court in New York would be perfectly acceptable," he said. "No New York jury is going to be hoodwinked by this claim if he ends up defaming Brian."
Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado, a teammate of Clemens on the 1998 Blue Jays, said the pitcher and strength coach didn't appear to be close at the time.
"It wasn't anything more than the usual pitcher and conditioning relationship," he said.
Delgado did find fault with Mitchell's report.
"There's a lot of accusations with not enough evidence," he said.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slu...v=ap&type=lgns
Re: Roger Clemens says McNamee injected him with lidocaine and B-12
I will be honest i might be the only one here who feels this way but here goes...
1) My perspective might be biased because i was a young kid growing up a few hours from Toronto and Rog comming to town was one of the best things that had ever happened to that city since '93.
2) I havent seen any proof...just accusations that so far and i am inclined to give this guy the benefit of the doubt. I hear he is now suing his former trainer...I really hope he is innocent but we really dont know.
3) Just a question cause i honestly dont know...but has any pitcher who has been proven to be using the steroids and HGH had better stats while they were taking it? It looks to me it seems to benefit the hitters much more.
Re: Roger Clemens says McNamee injected him with lidocaine and B-12
After listening to the Clemens phone call with McNamee...I'm really inclined to believe Clemens.
Re: Roger Clemens says McNamee injected him with lidocaine and B-12
Re: Roger Clemens says McNamee injected him with lidocaine and B-12
I don't buy it. Clemens should have come out with that up front: "This story about steroids is bogus. Yes, I was injected by the clubhouse guy, but only with B-12 and lidocaine -- I tried injecting myself, but have you ever tried an injection in your own ass? It's not easy. The guy's a liar, and I'll kick his *** if I see him again."
It gives the appearance that Clemens has changed his story by not coming out with the details until later on. The same way with Bonds, who adamantly denied taking steroids -- then admitted to taking "the cream and the clear" but claiming not to know they were steroids.
--Pet
Re: Roger Clemens says McNamee injected him with lidocaine and B-12
The whole thing was a setup by Clemons and his lawyer to get mcnamee to change his story. He even tells mcnamee during the call that he doesn't have anyone else listening in, which was a lie, him and his lawyer were taping the whole conversation.
Between this and Dog Chapman I'm not talking to anyone on my cell phone anymore! **** illegal phone tapping.
And I love Fraud-gers comment about not caring if he gets into the HOF, total BS. He's officially retired so who cares whats been said when you were playing, there's only 1 reason left to fight the allegations and thats the HOF. If he doesn't care about the HOF, then why put up such a big fight.
Re: Roger Clemens says McNamee injected him with lidocaine and B-12
Re: Roger Clemens says McNamee injected him with lidocaine and B-12
And what doesn't make sense to me is, Mcnamee named 30-40 players(however many it was) and only 1 has come out saying he lied. There have been several who has admitted that he told the truth about them(Clemons best friend for 1), so why would he lie about Fraud-ger.
Re: Roger Clemens says McNamee injected him with lidocaine and B-12
Quote:
After listening to the Clemens phone call with McNamee...I'm really inclined to believe Clemens.
YES me too :rolleyes: I always record my phone calls & tell the person it isn't recorded....:rolleyes:
Re: Roger Clemens says McNamee injected him with lidocaine and B-12
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Reade
Between this and Dog Chapman I'm not talking to anyone on my cell phone anymore! **** illegal phone tapping.
Clemens taping the conversation actually wasn't illegal.
Quote:
And what doesn't make sense to me is, Mcnamee named 30-40 players(however many it was) and only 1 has come out saying he lied. There have been several who has admitted that he told the truth about them(Clemons best friend for 1), so why would he lie about Fraud-ger.
Yeah, that's the only sticking point for me. However, McNamee's being shown to have lied about other things in the past. And it's certainly plausible that the feds said "We think Clemens juiced" and coerced McNamee into giving them a story about Clemens. Wouldn't be the first time the feds got someone to give them a bogus story to save his own butt.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FRENCHREDSOX
YES me too I always record my phone calls & tell the person it isn't recorded....
I don't see how that lowers Roger's credibility. He's not going to say, "Yes, Brian, I'm taping the conversation right now."
Clemens repeatedly said to McNamee that he did not use steroids and that he wants everybody to know the truth. McNamee never denied this. He just kept saying, "Tell me what you want me to do."
Honestly, I don't know what to believe, but at this point, I'm more inclined to believe Clemens than McNamee.
Re: Roger Clemens says McNamee injected him with lidocaine and B-12
Quote:
Clemens taping the conversation actually wasn't illegal.
Still, its a dirty underhanded move. And only because it was in texas. There are only 2 states(Texas, NY) that allow a phone conversation to be recorded without both peoples consent.
Since Fraud-ger wants to kick Mcnamee's *** so bad, as he hinted to in his press conference, lets put them in a room together and the survivor gets his name cleared.
And I hope every HOF voter heard Fraud-gers comment about not giving a **** if he gets into the HOF.
Re: Roger Clemens says McNamee injected him with lidocaine and B-12
Lidocaine and B-12 laced HGH and Steroids.
Re: Roger Clemens says McNamee injected him with lidocaine and B-12
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Reade
Still, its a dirty underhanded move. And only because it was in texas. There are only 2 states(Texas, NY) that allow a phone conversation to be recorded without both peoples consent.
Yep, and Clemesn was in Texas and McNamee was in New York, so, it was legal.
Re: Roger Clemens says McNamee injected him with lidocaine and B-12
Perhaps it was underhanded, but it was legal. I don't know that it really shifted things in Clemens favor - first for not really answering anything, and secondly for Clemens resorting to subterfuge in the first place. The high moral ground stance he was trying doesn't work anymore...
But at the same time, if he is innocent, then the whole accusation is a backstab - so underhanded phone taping is certainly fair game at that point.
I want to believe Roger is just a true hero of an athlete...and that somehow, his name is the one name that isn't true on the Mitchell report...but that's a hard idea to swallow. I can't see prosecutors threatening Macnamee with jail time, unless he points to Clemens. What's the incentive to bring Clemens down?
Re: Roger Clemens says McNamee injected him with lidocaine and B-12
Re: Roger Clemens says McNamee injected him with lidocaine and B-12
here's another thought provoking story. Its seems like Fraud-ger has some stock in a tape recording company or something.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3187302
Re: Roger Clemens says McNamee injected him with lidocaine and B-12
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Alloutwar
I want to believe Roger is just a true hero of an athlete...and that somehow, his name is the one name that isn't true on the Mitchell report...but that's a hard idea to swallow. I can't see prosecutors threatening Macnamee with jail time, unless he points to Clemens. What's the incentive to bring Clemens down?
See though, that's the real problem with this sort of thing. It's guilt by association. No one really has to prove anything aginst Clemens. He's simply "one of the gang" and therefore is guilty beyond doubt.
That sort of thinking is just wrong. I'm pretty much backing Clemens based on going against that sort of thinking all by itself.
Re: Roger Clemens says McNamee injected him with lidocaine and B-12
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ohms_law
He's simply "one of the gang" and therefore is guilty beyond doubt.
I'm not saying he's definitely guilty; heck, he is the only one who has stepped forward and defended himself so adamantly, which he really has no need to do. It's like an honor thing - he doesn't want to be the Barry Bonds type, and that's all good.
I am just asking a legitimate question, which is my one barrier to being swayed to Roger's side on this; why him? If everyone else on that list has either admitted use or remained silent and out of the spotlight, why is he the one name that MacNamee made up? Was it pressure from the feds ("Jeez, I really hate my childhood hero Clemens; let's see if this guy will cough up his name!")? Was he throwing out a big name to save himself, because Pettite and the others weren't big enough? Who was pushing it, and what on earth did they have to gain? I need some sort of vague, coherent reason to see why McNamee might have lied about this one guy; otherwise, I'm just on the fence for now. Just because I haven't sided with Roger, (or decided to simply oppose public opinion, however it may go) doesn't mean I have decided he is guilty beyond doubt.
I know the Mitchell report only got a fraction of the players that ever took steroids - and if the names on the list are to be suspect, then heck, 90% of players should be suspect. It's just hard to ignore the players that have all come forward since being named; it doesn't indict Clemens, but it actually gives MacNamee corroboration. As a kid who grew up loving Clemens and Hurst in my BoSox rotation, I want to give Clemens the benefit of the doubt and any possible leeway I can, believe me.
Re: Roger Clemens says McNamee injected him with lidocaine and B-12
Clemens' name has been floated for years and years. He had that reputation for having such a "brutal" workout (which isn't really saying much, since we're talking about baseball players here), so that's naturally dovetailed into suspicion. While I don't take his word unquestioningly that his name may have been added at the behest of someone or other, the possibility is hardly beyond belief either. And, with all of the other players whom they most likely knew were users, throwing his name in there makes for easy cover. They wanted, perhaps even needed, a blockbuster name for the report, and Clemens fits the bill.
Most likely there are extremely few "superstar" level players who do or have used actual PED's anyway (although, I wouldn't doubt that many, or even most, have tried them for a short period of time). They are more likely to have a worthwhile cost/benefit ratio to the slightly below average player anyway, as that little bit extra puts them into the average or even slightly above average group, allowing them their shot at the bigs.
Re: Roger Clemens says McNamee injected him with lidocaine and B-12
This whole Clemens/McNamee thing reminds me of a presidential election. Clemens is relying on attacking McNamee's credibility much like a candidate will spend the majority of his/her time attacking his rival's credibility instead of actually talking about why voters should vote for him. To me, all Clemens is doing is trying to smokescreen the public by attacking McNamee and saying very little about himself other than the "I never used PEDS" line that EVERYONE has said in the past (Marion Jones, Rafael Palmeiro, Barry Bonds, Andy Pettitte, etc.) It's also not McNamee's fault that Clemens can afford a high powered legal and public relations outfit that is working full bore in an attempt to clear his name and smear McNamee's.
For me, one of the most damning things for Clemens is that his butt buddy Andy Pettitte admitted to HGH use. The same best friend that has trained with Clemens for the past several years in his "legendary" offseason workouts. I don't know about you guys, but if my best friend who I spend nearly 24 hours a day with for nearly 8 months out of the year during the season, and then work out with for hours at a time during the offseason started doing something shady, I'd have some sort of knowledge about it. Clemens was apparently "shocked" to learn of Pettitte's HGH use. And why hasn't Pettitte said anything about Clemens? How come there haven't been any kind of impassioned defense of Clemens from his best friend Pettitte if Clemens was really totally innocent?
