Clemens Vehemently Denies Steroid Use

"When Andy confirmed that McNamee had indeed told the truth about injecting him, that gave McNamee credibility, made his claims about injecting you seem more believable," Wallace points out.

"I had no knowledge of what Andy was doing," Clemens says.

"Why would Brian McNamee tell the truth about Andy Pettitte and lie about you?" Wallace asks.

"Andy's case is totally separate. I was shocked to learn about Andy's situation. Had no idea about it," Clemens says.

And we had no idea how many legal injections Clemens has received, including from McNamee.

Clemens says McNamee did in fact inject him, but only with "Lidocaine and B-12. It's for my joints, and B-12 I still take today."

"And that's all?" Wallace asks.

"That's it," Clemens says.

Clemens swears he never took human growth hormone or anabolic steroids.

McNamee's attorney countered that McNamee only injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone, nothing else.

Clemens told 60 Minutes he got legal injections from team trainers, mostly painkillers.

"The number of shots that you get over the course of a season, which was many for me. Whether they be vitamins or for pain, Toradol. Pain shots. To go out and perform. I had one of my biggest arguments with Joe Torre. He's wanting to scratch me on one of the biggest starts of the season. Had a small tear in my hamstring and a golf ball in my elbow," Clemens recalls.

"Joe Torre and I were in the trainers' room and he basically shut the door and said, 'I don't need any damn heroes here. You didn't tell me how bad you're hurtin'. I notice you're hurtin'.' And I told Joe Torre that I'll be damned if 15 minutes before I'm gonna start a World Series game I'm gonna go out there and look my teammates in the eye and tell 'em I can't go. I said, 'As long as the other team doesn't know that I'm hurting, I can get people out throwin' 85 without using my leg. And get you six innings under my belt.' I'm gonna take this Toradol shot and hope it works. And mask some of this pain so I can get out there and do my job. That's the things I put my body through. And I'm not ashamed of that because I get paid a lotta money to go out and perform. And I appreciate that they put that kind of trust in me," he adds.

That night, he threw a three-hitter and won the game. What worries him today, he told 60 Minutes, is all the Vioxx pills various trainers gave him. Vioxx was a widely used anti-inflammatory and painkiller, before it was taken off the market for causing heart attacks and strokes.

"I was eating Vioxx like it was Skittles. And now these people who are supposedly regulating it tell me it's bad for my heart," Clemens says. "I don't know what the future holds because of the medicine that I've eatin', but I trusted that it was not harmful. And I didn't wanna put anything in my body that was harmful."

Steroids are harmful he said, and would have shortened his career. "Why would I want to get tight or lose my flexibility, put something harmful in my system that's gonna cause me to break down when I've had a 24-year career?" Clemens asks.

"Look, because you're at the end of your career, and because you don't want to give up the career and give up the fame and so forth. So if it's necessary to stick something into you…," Wallace says.

"I didn't play my career to get fame or go to the Hall of Fame or worry about all that. That's nice. All that's nice. Again, it's not who I am. I've worked my tail off to get where I'm at. I'm not gonna put something in my body for a quick fix that's gonna tear me down," Clemens says.

Asked what penalty there should be for someone taking these performance enhancing drugs, Clemens says, "I think it's a self-inflicted penalty. They break down quick. It's a quick fix. They're in and out of the game."

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[jbryant793]

I find it very interesting that the trainer told the truth about everybody but Roger.

[harunksteve]

Baseball took their time recognizing public opinion of steroid use - they decided to ban it - I do not want Congress getting tied up in Baseball, let pro-ball make their rules and go from here - as far as roger and the hall of fame, he isn''t even in and all I know is that he does not want to wear a Boston uniform

[raine_man200]

its interesting to see roger and his lawyer say they will talk to this government committee as he has a law suit pending against his former trainer... hummmmmmmm sorry cant answer that question as it will affect the outcome of a upcoming court case. and ..... i also will note that most steroid using people that are accused all say "who me i''m innocent", just ask any person who has a finger pointed at em.. they''ll tell you that they are innocent and low and behold they have used steroids........

Recently there was a person who finally admitted using steroids and she lost her medals but when it was first brought up by someone way back when.......didnt that remind you a bit like this episode and i can still remember ben johnson... fastest man in the world ..yup ran like a stallion in heat.. say "who me..not me i never took any enhancing drugs".........
so please when names are brought forward and the public hears em.. we are usually the last to hear the talk.. itd be interesting to hear honest athletes be asked what they have heard.. but then the union wouldnt want that ..is this making any sense?

[Kafir1]

I''m amazed that Mike Wallace didn''t ask Roger Clemens why he had asked his trainer, not his physician, to inject him with Lidocaine, and B12. Who would you want providing and administrating injectable substances into you - a trainer, or a physician?

[egprescott]

I''ve been a Red Sox fan for as about 37 years, born and raised 15 min. from Fenway Park. When Clemens was with them, I thought he was the most arrogant player we''d ever had. Today though, his arrogance doesn''t make him guilty until proven innocent. Personally, although I''ve never liked him, I believe him. More so, I believe in the American Justice System - Innocent until proven guilty.

[zibbydot-2009]

McNamee is a narcissist guilty of pushing illegal drugs. By definition he is the most extreme form of a risk taker at the expense of others credibility. We think his freedom depended on ''the truth''. For McNamee it is his self preservation at all cost that hung in the balance and lead to the report. His motivation to target Clemens and other players is nothing more than a game of deflection. He is too arrogant to believe he could actually go to prison, he just needed to cleverly organize his play on the legal system and public in a way that would redeem his credibility, all the while someone else the center of negative attention. A narcissist primary motivation is to be the one revered, and McNamee certainly accomplished that with his self titled report, how fitting.
McNamee has nothing to lose and everything to gain with this illusion. He has had great satisfaction toying with Clemens, the other players and the public at large. He is living the narcissist dream.

[bookmark440]

It comes down to credibility. I lived in Boston during Clemens'' entire run. Every season, there were nasty incidents involving Roger which don''t get national press. Things like going to a California golf course with three buddies during a West coast road trip and making a scene because they wouldn''t comp him AND his buddies with free golf. But when he''s asked about these things, he always denies or deflects and blames the other guy. Take the 1986 World Series ''Bill Buckner'' game. People forget that Clemens took himself out of that game then denied it later. The person he called a liar then was John McNamara, one of the most honorable and respected coaches in the league. That''s his pattern. And this assertion that he has ''always'' worked hard, the hardest working guy in baseball is just false. From ''93-''96 in Boston, he showed up at spring training overweight and out-of-shape. From 1993 through July,1996, he was 34-36 with an ERA of 4.00. He was 4-10 through July/96 when he suddenly realizes that he''s a free agent at the end of the season and pitches an unreal Aug (4-1. 1.85 ERA). So, I basically think the guy is a scum-bag with no credibility.

I don''t know anything about Brian McNamee at all. But I do know that the ONLY way he could blow his immunity was to lie, in which case he goes directly to jail. My guess is that Clemens treated him like garbage the same way he treats everybody else and that he didn''t hestitate to rat him out.

[karenpeterse]

As a person who was wrongfully accused of baseless lies and falsehoods in the workplace, I am sympathetic to the pain Roger Clemens has endured, and the helpless feeling of not being able to defend oneself against such allegations. I hope he fights back with a vengeance and clears his name. He deserves better, and so did I. Doesn''t ''innocent until proven guilty'' mean anything?
Karen Petersen
Former Manager, Honolulu Office
Western Temporary Services

[enoll6]

All of you idiots that keep asking for this polygraph apparetly are unaware that they are complletely unreliable and do not prove a thing. We will probably never know the the truth about what happened but until there is proof other than one guy accusing another there is no point in debating this issue any further. The man is innocent util there is some sort of proof or coroborating evidence or witness. I am sure if he did take hgh or steroids he did nont talk about it with anyone.

As for the other overly inteligent statement of cheating because he used painkillers to play through injuries all athletes do this for instance Big Papi and his shoulder all season so please get a clue!!!

[amainer]

Here I am a Red Sox fan, and now your telling me Major League Baseball bites again. I was kind of liking it where it was. Thanks, Senator Mitchell from Maine. "He said she said". Anybody got any test results?