Roger Clemens took to the airwaves last night defending himself on 60 Minutes. But the strongest action he took was off the air, filing a lawsuit against Brian McNamee for defamation and claiming that McNamee has “ruined Roger's reputation with a large percentage of the public."
On 60 Minutes Roger appeared angry and defiant in the face of Mike Wallace’s questions. Stating that he was “pissed off” Clemens launched into a angry denial of the accusations against him: “I'm angry that that what I've done for the game of baseball and the personal, in my private life, what I've done that I don't get the benefit of the doubt.”
Clemens also launched into the ridiculous with his claim that if he used steroids or HGH he “should have a third ear coming out of my forehead. I should be pulling tractors with my teeth.” He also refused to discuss Andy Pettitte’s case, saying only that he was shocked to learn about Pettitte and that “Andy’s case is totally separate.” Clemens also said that he's "probably" going to retire, something he's done several times before.
Interestingly, Clemens claimed he did not talk to Mitchell ahead of time because of the advice of counsel and if he had known what the report said he would have sat down with Mitchell in a second. To date, we have not learned what investigators told players when they asked for an interview.
But the bigger story is now Clemens’s lawsuit. After an "emotional" phone call with Brian McNamee, Clemens has decided to sue. The call led to one of McNamee's lawyers to wonder if Clemens was trying to influence his former trainer's testimony. Was the call a last-ditch effort by a guilty man, or the rightful actions of someone who has been wrongly accused? The suit states that “all of McNamee's accusations are false and defamatory per se,” so Roger is denying everything that McNamee said. Do you believe him?
