The dust has settled from Wednesday’s congressional hearing on whether Roger Clemens used steroids and still we have very few answers.
Public opinion appears to be heavily in the direction of believing Clemens’ accuser, Brian McNamee.
It is believed the federal government already is investigating Clemens and may convene a grand jury on the matter soon. With that looming in the distance, here is a look at some questions surrounding the case:
WILL CLEMENS BE INDICTED?
This is the multi-million dollar question. At the moment, the government probably does not have enough evidence against Clemens to indict, but it almost is certain they are digging for more.
The feds are running tests on the syringes and gauze pads McNamee turned over to them last month. Once those test results are available, they will have a better idea of what kind of case they have.
McNamee also told investigators hired by Clemens that the government knew things about Clemens using steroids before they talked to him. He indicated he believed they had other witnesses. This may have been a tactic used by investigators to get McNamee to talk, because no mention of this other witness appeared in the Mitchell Report.
But McNamee has testified Clemens had a bag of steroids that he gave him. McNamee did not know the source. You can bet Jeff Novitzky, the lead BALCO investigator, is trying to find that source right now.
WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH BARRY BONDS?
The feds indicted Bonds last November and a trial appears possible later this year. It won’t look good for the Justice Department if it doesn’t treat Clemens the same way.
“I’m sure there are people at the Justice Department discussing right now that there was this high-profile hearing where several Congressmen said they felt Clemens lied, and then they have Bonds, who they believed lied to a grand jury and was indicted,” said Tom Buchanan, the head of litigation for Winston & Strawn and a former federal prosecutor. “If they don’t indict Clemens, Bonds’ lawyers will play the race card.”
One of Clemens’ lawyers’ biggest arguments is that federal investigators intimidated and coerced testimony out of McNamee. If they can prove that to a judge’s satisfaction, it would bolster Bonds’ case. Several of the agents working the Bonds case had involvement with McNamee. Michael Rains, Bonds’ attorney, has long alleged misconduct by the government in the case against Bonds.
WILL ANY OTHER YANKEES GET DRAGGED INTO THIS?
If a grand jury is called to investigate this matter, Andy Pettitte will find himself being questioned again. As for other current or former Yankees, a few appeared in McNamee’s testimony.
Gary Sheffield was quoted once hinting that Clemens had used steroids. McNamee was asked about this by Clemens’ private investigators. He told them Pettitte believed Clemens had told Jason Giambi about using steroids and Giambi had told Sheffield.
“Andy told me personally that he thinks Roger might have talked to Giambi about some stuff and Giambi talks to Sheffield,” McNamee said.
When contacted by The Post last week, Giambi said this was not true.
“I never recall having a conversation of that nature with Roger,” he told The Post.
A grand jury also may want to talk to some of the clubhouse and training staff with the Yankees, as well as the other teams Clemens played for, to find out if they saw or heard anything that would indicate he used performance-enhancing drugs.
WHAT HAS THIS DONE TO CLEMENS’ LEGACY?
It’s hard to measure the damage. Clemens always will be viewed with suspicion, even if he somehow discredits McNamee’s claims.
“I think it hurts it very badly,” former baseball commissioner Fay Vincent said. “I think the public makes up their mind very quickly. I think most of the people think, like me, he’s lied. It’s like the denials we got from Barry Bonds, Pete Rose and even Dick Nixon. We find out later they were lying to us.”
If he doesn’t play again, Clemens will be on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2012, possibly alongside Bonds. The two will present a dilemma for voters. Both were superstars before they are accused of using steroids, but there is a strong belief both cheated.
Like Bonds, steroid allegations are now part of Clemens’ story. On the day his obituary is written, it is very likely McNamee’s name appears before Cy Young’s.
Additional reporting by George A. King III.
Wild pitches
Here are a few discrepancies in Roger Clemens’ statements about Brian McNamee’s accusations:
MITCHELL REPORT
In a “60 Minutes” interview, Mike Wallace asked Clemens if he knew what was going to be in the Mitchell Report before it was released.
“I did not,” Clemens said.
In his deposition to the Oversight Committee, Clemens said he knew four days before the report’s release. In fact, he had investigators employed by his lawyer travel to New York to interview McNamee the day before the report was released.
“December 9th, I met with Rusty at Randy Hendricks’ house and found out about the allegations that were being made,” Clemens said.
He also knew about a call from McNamee to an employee of his agents where McNamee warned them of what was coming. The call was on Dec. 5. Clemens said he found out a day or two after that.
CANSECO’S PARTY
Clemens denied ever being at Jose Canseco’s house when McNamee alleges he saw Clemens and Canseco have a conversation. He spent most of Wednesday denying this, then after it was revealed his nanny at the time told the committee the entire Clemens family had stayed at Canseco’s house that week, he changed his story.
“So could I have gone by the house later that afternoon and dropped my wife or her brother-in-law, the people that golfed with me? Sure, I could have,” he said late in Wednesday’s hearing. “But at the time of the day that I would have expressed it to be, I was on my way to the ballpark. I would have had to have gotten to the ballpark extremely early. I know one thing. I wasn’t there having huddled up with somebody trying to do a drug deal. I know that for sure.”
McNAMEE AND HGH
Clemens contradicted himself in his deposition on this issue.
“Did you ever speak with Mr. McNamee about human growth hormone?” he was asked.
“I have not,” he said.
Later in the deposition, he describes a heated conversation he had with McNamee after McNamee injected Debbie Clemens, Roger’s wife, with HGH.