Roger Clemens is standing in his own grave with a shovel in his hand. And the best pitcher of his generation is digging away.
Clemens entered a not guilty plea Monday to charges of lying to Congress about whether he used steroids or human growth hormone. If convicted, he faces jail time, a $1.5 million fine and a catastrophic blow to his reputation.
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What we still can’t quantify, however, is what Clemens hopes to achieve with his judicial fullcourt press. In the face of allegations, he has steadfastly denied using performance-enhancing drugs, marching toward the ugly ending everyone sees coming. Everyone, it seems, except Clemens. The seven-time Cy Young award winner is taking a huge risk, and he’s doing it to repair the irreparable.
In a fantasy world — the one in which Clemens apparently resides — the fate of his legacy would be determined by this case. Two things can happen: He is found guilty, thrown in jail and — by extension — viewed for the rest of his life as a cheater and a criminal. Or he is found not guilty, his good name is restored and he rides triumphantly into the Hall of Fame.
The problem for Clemens — and the problem for all cases such as this one in which circumstantial evidence and rumor dominate — is that the court of public opinion has the harshest consequence of all. If Clemens wins this case — and facing up to 30 years in prison, you’d have to think he believes he can — his reputation and legacy should receive a major boost. Give Clemens one thing: He hasn’t budged an inch. If he wins, the logic goes, then he didn’t lie to Congress. And if he didn’t lie to Congress, then he didn’t take performance-enhancing drugs. And if he didn’t take performance-enhancing drugs, then he played clean. A not guilty verdict would vault Clemens ahead of players who failed drugs tests and who admitted to taking banned substances because his word — and his denial of the accusation — would be upheld.
Unfortunately, the world doesn’t work that way. Maybe Clemens thinks it should, but it doesn’t. A court victory might improve his Hall of Fame chances, but it isn’t enough to restore his reputation completely. The damage has been done. Clemens has every right to have his day in court. But regardless of whether he lied, he should take a long look at the fight he’s about to pick because it’s one that he loses even if he wins.
James Irwin is the sports editor of The Washington Examiner. Reach him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @irwinjj.
