Earlier this week, Roger Clemens finally got the news he’s been expecting for so long. In the perjury trial against him, the U.S. District Court found Roger Clemens not guilty.
Monday’s ruling marks the government’s second failure in trying to get the 49-year-old baseball legend convicted. Most likely prosecutors would drop the charges instead of being blasted for wasting so much time and financial resources going after athletes charged with doping. With Roger Clemens, the prosecutors wasted years and accumulated quite some steep expenses since 2008.
The U.S. District Court ruled he was not guilty of any of the six charges against him, including lying to the Congress about his alleged steroid intake during his baseball career. As soon as the judge said “Mr. Clemens, you are free to go”, you could see Roger Clemens breaking through the stoic face he had all the time he was prosecuted.
He hugged his wife, sons and lawyers as the court’s ruling just saved him from spending the next 30 years in jail. Outside the court he thanked the media and his fans for never stopping believing in his statement. Roger Clemens told reporters and fans: “Really, all of you media guys who know me and followed my career. I put a lot of hard work into that career”.
Torii Hunter, outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels, told the USA Today Sports: “The government came after our two biggest stars and they got nothing. It was a witch hunt. They got nothing on this sport. So leave us alone, pleaser”.
Joe Girardi, New York Yankees manager, said the court’s ruling is good news for baseball, because it will bring people’s focus back to the game and not to the trial. Derek Jeter, Roger Clemens’ former teammate, had a similar take: “I’m happy for him. I think it’s good for baseball that it’s over with. We can stop talking about it”.
Former Washington defense attorney Stanley Brand said the case against Roger Clemens “was a tremendous waste of federal resources. The juries that acquitted these people weren’t persuaded by any of this. That’s the man on the street”.
