Ex-Trainer: "I'll Go To Jail" For Clemens

(CBS/AP)  Roger Clemens' former trainer said he was willing to go to jail and repeatedly asked the pitcher "what do you want me to do?" during a 17-minute telephone conversation last week.

A recording of last Friday's conversation between Clemens and Brian McNamee was played Monday at the start of Clemens' news conference. Clemens' lawyers said that because McNamee didn't deny Clemens' claims that he never used steroids, it amounted to proof that Clemens was telling the truth.

"I'll go to jail, I'll do whatever you want," McNamee said during the conversation.

"I need somebody to tell the truth," Clemens said.

During the tape, McNamee never said he lied when he told baseball investigator George Mitchell last year that he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone in 1998, 2000 and 2001.

"I'm in your corner," McNamee said. "I'd also like not to go to jail, too."

Late Sunday, Clemens filed a defamation suit against McNamee in Texas state court.

Clemens was mostly expressionless while the tape played, even when McNamee said, "You treated me like family."

Clemens said McNamee initiated the conversation, which was laced with emotion and profanity. McNamee, a former strength coach for the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees, sounded as if he were a desperate man.

"I'm firing my lawyers. I'm getting rid of everybody," McNamee said. "My wife is gone. My kids are gone."

After the tape was played, Hardin said Clemens was willing to testify Jan. 16 to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Clemens and McNamee were invited to Washington along with Andy Pettitte, Chuck Knoblauch and Kirk Radomski, the former Mets' clubhouse attendant alleged to have provided McNamee with performance-enhancing drugs.

"I'm going to Congress and I'm going to tell the truth," Clemens said.

On the same day his interview about alleged steroid use was broadcast on "60 Minutes,"Clemens beat McNamee to court, filing a defamation suit against the former trainer who claimed to have injected him with performance-enhancing drugs.

Clemens filed the suit Sunday night in Harris County District Court in Texas, listing 15 alleged statements McNamee made to the baseball drug investigator George Mitchell. Clemens claimed the statement were "untrue and defamatory."

"According to McNamee, he originally made his allegations to federal authorities after being threatened with criminal prosecution if he didn't implicate Clemens," according to the 14-page petition.

Richard Emery, one of McNamee's lawyers, said he would seek to remove the case to U.S. District Court in Houston, then to possibly shift it to federal court in Brooklyn.

"I think it's dismissible on its face. I think it's a press release for Clemens and his career," Emery said. "The case is shoddy at best. The prosecutors acted completely professionally in this case. This is a very odd thing for me to be saying, but it's the truth. Sometimes you are bound by the truth."

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[slippy54]

As a former lawyer I can tell you that information given as a result of a plea bargain or immunity deal usually isn''t worth the breath used to make the accusation. It''s basic human nature to do or say anything to save oneself. I do believe a man is innocent until reliable substantiated proof is provided to establish actual guilt. That so far is wholly lacking here.

[excoachken]

Roger is a liar.

[realtalk5950]

HE DID IT

[bobnjersey]

[You''''re a good pitcher but as a person you really disappoint me.]
[Posted by SHURCH4TRUTH at 02:08 PM : Jan 08, 2008]

how do you know him as a person? from the cbs interview? from his standing on the mound?

why do you care what he is beyond his sporting accomplishments?

[smiley676]

I''''m hoping that it will be proven that you are innocent but even if that happens my respect for is gone (except for your pitching).


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Posted by SHURCH4TRUTH

I''m sure he doesn''t care if he has your respect. I''m not making a statement on whether he did or did not do something wrong. What I''m saying is, why do you people think that movie stars, athletes, etc. care about your respect.

Who are you to judge anyway? Are you perfect? NO

[dgermenis]

You''re a traitor, Roger! You should be on the Astros. You went to Spring Woods High School in HOUSTON, remember??? You''re not "back home"!!!

[guysdigdirt]

Clemens said "LANACANE" not lidocane - any idiot KNOWS you walk into a drug store and buy LANACANE to rub on itchy rashes (it''''s a cortisone based cream) and while you are in the store, you can also buy B-12 capsules. Why would you have an INJECTION of a vitamin??? Posted by kevzgrl

You are such a richard cranium.

Since you will never be on a national television show you will never know the stress that can induce, so for him to say the wrong word and you castigate him for it, you are an imbecile.

Do your homework, vitamin B in a liquid form is more potent and effective than a pill.

[realtalk5950]

They should steroid test everyone in MLB and NFL. that way so many players will be banned they will shut down both leagues and it will be great because they are both filled with a bunch of ''roided up maniacs.

IF YA SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLL WHAT THE MLB AND THE NFL ARE COOKIN''!!!!

[redbarron73]

Posted by leafsntrees at 12:33 PM : Jan 08, 2008


Must be a sad life you''re living when all you do is spew a bunch of nonsense under multiple ID''s on CBS comment boards.

[smiley676]

So much for that. Also, why would they inject lidocane (although if you LISTEN to what he said, it came out LANAcane) into his BUTT for a pain in his ARM??? That is a local anesthetic, not systemic


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Posted by kevzgrl

This would be a good point if Clemens was a doctor. He''s a baseball player, they tend to take advice from their trainers without double checking. It is entirely possible that he was injected with steroids without knowing it. It is also possible that his trainer just lied to get a deal. And it is also possible that Clemens is lying.

But that''s not for any of us to judge. This is clearly a case of defamation if his trainer is lying and a court will have to make that judgment. Getting your information from the press is not the best way to get the facts.