newjerseynewsroom.com

BY BOB HOLT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

A federal grand jury Thursday indicted seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens for allegedly lying to Congress about using steroids and growth hormone.

According to the New York Times, the 19-page indictment charged Clemens, 48, with three counts of making false statements, two counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of Congress during his testimony in a nationally televised hearing in February 2008 before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Cbsnews.com reports the six-count indictment includes charges carrying a maximum combined penalty of 30 years behind bars and $1.5 million. Current U.S. sentencing guidelines give the recommended range as 15 to 21 months.

The former Major League baseball pitcher and his former trainer, Brian McNamee, testified under oath at a 2008 hearing before the House committee and contradicted each other about whether Clemens had used the banned substances.

According to NJ.com, McNamee has told federal agents, baseball investigator George Mitchell and the committee that he injected Clemens more than a dozen times with steroids and human growth hormone from 1998 to 2001.

Clemens has maintained that McNamee was lying.

In his defiant appearance before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in 2008, Clemens said, "I've been accused of something I'm not guilty of ... I have never taken steroids or HGH."

"As far as we're concerned, it's vindication," Earl Ward, one of McNamee's attorneys, said of the indictment.

"The Department of Justice takes referrals from congressional committees very seriously," US Attorney Ronald Machen, who is prosecuting the case in Washington, told the New York Post.

"Our government cannot function if witnesses are not held accountable for false statements made before Congress. Today the message is clear: If a witness makes a choice to ignore his or her obligation to testify honestly, there will be consequences."

According to a report in the Courier Post, Clemens' lawyer Rusty Hardin said, "Roger is looking forward to his day in court. He is happy this has finally happened. We have known for some time this was going to happen. We'll let everything get taken care of in court."

Longtime Clemens friend and Yankees pitcher Andy Pettite told congressional investigators that Clemens confided to him that he had used human growth hormone. Clemens said Pettite's assertion wasn't correct.

"I believe Andy has misheard" the conversation, Clemens responded. He said he had simply mentioned to Pettite a TV show about three older men who used HGH to get back their quality of life.

During a 23-year career as a starting pitcher, Clemens played for the Boston Red Sox, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Yankees and the Houston Astros, chalking up 354 wins, 4,672 strikeouts and a lifetime earned run average of 3.12.

The Clemens matter was the second referral the congressional committee made to the Justice Department. The other was that of Miguel Tejada, who pleaded guilty to making misleading statements to committee investigators in 2005 regarding his knowledge of performance enhancing drugs.

No date has been set for Clemens' initial court appearance.