POLL: Was Roger Clemens Guilty?
The Justice Dept. could not prove its case of whether the former Yankee pitcher took perfomance-enhancing drugs.
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Baseball great Roger Clemens was acquitted this week of perjury charges in a lengthy trial, after he was accused of taking performance-enhancing drugs.
Clemens, the most decorated pitcher in baseball history, could have gone to jail for up to 30 years for taking steroids while a major leaguer and for lying about it.
The jury considering the case against him, however, took only 11 hours to acquit him after the nine-week trial, in which he was facing six felony charges of perjury, obstruction of Congress and making false statements.
This is the second recent big loss for the U.S. Justice Dept., who was also unable to convict former Presidential candidate John Edwards. Last year, a jury convicted slugger Barry Bonds of one charge of obstruction of justice but failed to reach a verdict on whether Bonds lied to a jury. He was sentenced to house arrest and probation.
Some have criticized the decision to take Clemens to trial.
Is Roger Clemens guilty of using steroids as a baseball pitcher? Or is it just too hard to prove the illegal use of performance drugs among professional athletes?
Jerry Soffer
8:25 am on Saturday, June 23, 2012
The more important question is: Why was their a Congressional investigation in the first place? We were going through a financial meltdown, conducting two wars (one of which was premised on a fraud) and Congress investigates drug use in the entertainment industry? (Professional athletics is, after all, entertainment). Our inept and/or crooked elected officials were trying to fool us, again, by trying to make us think they were conducting the People's business, when they were really avoiding the People's business. Maybe the jury saw the case for what it was, and didn't care if he used to take steroids or lied about it.
Stoneglassguitar
5:35 pm on Saturday, June 23, 2012
yes yes yes!!!!!!!!!!! they do it for face time,those lousy politicians....
Stoneglassguitar
8:25 am on Saturday, June 23, 2012
did he take drugs????who cares.....this is why politicians disgust me.............
SAM FAUGHT
8:25 am on Saturday, June 23, 2012
Hard To Convict, as The Sports World Seems To Protect Their Heroes. The Ordinary
Person, would Have been Found Guilty, without a Trial.
" THANKS " - Cleveland Indian Fan
Roland Straten
5:35 pm on Saturday, June 23, 2012
He was not charged with taking steroids. He was charged with lying to Congress, which in my opinion is a really phoney charge by the feds. Maybe we should have a law that Congress shall not lie to the people. I agree totally with what Jerry and Stoneglassguitar said above.
Cliff Wilson
5:35 pm on Saturday, June 23, 2012
Makes no difference whether he used steroids or not. They could not help him throw that "splitter" that nobody could hit. If it helps someon heal faster, fine ... use it. I would use it to heal. Beyond that, I suppose if used to build up artificial strength (Oxymoron?) maybe should be banned for that. I always wondered how steroids would help me hit the ball at precisely the right place to knock it over the fence.
Mac McPeters
9:42 am on Sunday, June 24, 2012
I don't understand why Congress is interested. I'm not and don't they work for us? Aren't there more important things to do? And isn't this Gov't jumping in where they don't need to be?
And He Lied to Congress? Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?