CLEMENTS STEROID USE: CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS

BY Rachael Kurtz


If a baseball player gets caught using steroids, suddenly Congress puts the whole Government on hold to have hearings about it. The use of performance-enhancing drugs is becoming a big concern in Major League Baseball players which then creates investigations, scandals and media buzz. Going back to the ancient Olympics and Roman times, athletes used performance-enhancing herbs and mushrooms in order to improve their performance in competition by making them faster, stronger or braver (Osborne, Evan. Performance-Enhancing Drugs: An Economic Analysis.” Wright State University. June 2005. Web. 31 August 2010.) The rumors of steroid use among players finally began to explode with the announcement in 1998 that Mark McGwire was cheating with his use of Androstenedione.

Another baseball celebrity is Roger Clemens who has had multiple awards and recognitions throughout his baseball career. In 1999, he established the 53 spot on ‘The Sporting News’ list of 100 Greatest Baseball Players. In 2005, Clemens was conveyed up to number fifteen on the list. At the end of his 2005 season, Roger Clemens had won seven Cy Young Awards. Those awards include the AL Award and the National League Award. Clemens was then named to Sports Illustrated’s “all-time” team. And on August 18th, 2007, Roger got his 1,000th strikeout as a Yankee player.

Like many other celebrity Major League Baseball players, William Roger Clemens, a MLB pitcher, has recently been under the spotlight with accusations of steroid use. This will not be the first time that Clemens has had encounters of allegations with steroid use. Humiliation, reports and affirmation with his use of performance-enhancing drugs extends back to 1998 when Brian McNamee, Yankees trainer, denied Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte of knowledge with any steroid use. (“Roger Clemens.” Wikipedia. 31 August 2010. Web. 1 Sept. 2010.) And on January 6, 2008, Roger Clemens appeared on 60 Minutes to address the allegations. Throughout 2008, Clemens was involved with many lawyers, committees, testimonies and investigations dealing with the statistics and evidence regarding his steroid use.

Roger Clemens’ most recent battle with the steroid allegations against him was brought to the public’s attention on August 19, 2010 when federal prosecutors indicted him on charges of making false statements to Congress about his use of performance-enhancing drugs. (Burleson, Duane. “Roger Clemens.” The New York Times. 19 Aug. 2010 Web. 30 Aug. 2010.) With his indictment, Clemens was charged with three counts of fallacious affirmations and two counts of perjury. Roger was sent to Washington D.C for his hearing on Monday August, 30th, just eleven days after a grand jury indicted Clemens on six felonies related to his testimony before Congress in February of 2008. (Thompson, Teri and Vinton, Nathaniel. “Roger Clemens will be arraigned Monday on six-count indictment in steroid probe.” Daily News. 26 Aug. 2010. Web. 1 Sept. 2010.) On Monday, Clemens was pleaded not guilty to his perjury charge in steroid use. He will be free to travel but only in the United States and must check in with the court every two weeks.