Former Red Sox GM Hints at Roger Clemens PED Evidence
Major League Baseball will forever be scarred by the use of performance enhancing drugs (PED). The list of suspected players is nearly as long as those in the Hall of Fame. It has put into question the purity of the game, long-standing records that have been broken and the integrity of the players who hid it for years.
Some players have come out and admitted PED use. Some denied it for years, but eventually came around to spilling the truth. Others, like Roger Clemens, have vehemently denied using PEDs and continue to do so to this day.
In fact, Clemens had his lawyers inquire with the federal court of appeals to revive a defamation lawsuit against his former trainer Brian McNamee. Clemens denied ever using PEDs when he testified under oath to Congress in 2008, but he is under grand jury investigation for possible perjury charges.
In an interview with a Boston media outlet, former general manager Dan Duquette hinted at further information that could link the single-game strike out record holder to PEDs.
"...there’s been a lot of water under the bridge since Clemens left town and I think there’s more information that will come out here before we’re done with this current saga in Roger’s professional life...," he said.
When asked if [Red Sox] fans should expect to hear more about pre-1996 for his 13 years in Boston, Duquette replied, “I’ll just say this…let’s let it play out a little bit more, I think there is more information and evidence that will show that Roger used performance enhancing drugs in a significant way.”
Either way, Clemens has his reputation in the ultimate pickle. Regardless of being successful in his chase of a defamation lawsuit, the former Yankee and Blue Jay has a long road ahead of him to rebuild his reputation.
Other players were smart. Even Mark McGuire eventually came clean and has basically taken his reputation underground so the swell of whispers, negative comments and barrage of hate dies down. Same with Rafael Palmeiro and other players. The sentiment around PEDs with fans seems to be, "eh, everyone was going to, so whatever..."
I chalk that up to the slew of apologies and tears by former childhood heros.
However, when it comes to Clemens, there haven't been any tears. No apologies. No admittance of the use of PEDs.
Either way, the damage has been done and as soon as Clemens can realize that, he might be able to work on restoring his baseball legacy and reputation.
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