Clemens' Denial Enough to Choke On

Pitcher's claim steroids were B-12 not going down easy
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 6, 2008 6:58 AM CST
Clemens' Denial Enough to Choke On
Roger Clemens, left, exercises with strength coach Brian McNamee after pitching in a Houston Astros minor league baseball mini camp in Kissimmee, Fla., in this Feb. 27, 2006 file photo. McNamee has said he injected Clemens with steroids on numerous occasions, but Clemens says the injections were just...   (Associated Press)

Pitcher Roger Clemens' claim that he took injections of B-12 vitamins—not steroids—is a page right out of the book of lame stories by Orioles player Rafael Palmeiro, who was laughed into obscurity after a similar tale, writes a skeptical Chicago Tribune columnist. Clemens will insist on "60 Minutes" tonight that he thought what his trainer says were steroids were vitamins—inviting the question: Wouldn't taking a pill have been easier?  

An attorney for the trainer called Clemens' story "a lawyers' game" that will let the pitcher claim that he never knowingly did anything wrong. Clemens' TV appearance looks like an attempt to get public opinion on his side—but with the nation watching and an upcoming appearance before a congressional committee, he needs a more convincing story, concludes the Tribune's Rick Morrissey. (More Roger Clemens stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X