The government’s star witness in the Roger Clemens court case has taken the stand this week. McNamee was Clemens personal trainer for several years who told Mitchell Report investigators, under threat of federal prosecuation and jail time, that he injected Clemens with anabolic steroids and human growth hormone. To support his allegations of steroid use, McNamee provided federal investigators with a beer can containing used syringes and needles containing traces of illegal steroids mixed with Clemen’s blood along with bloody gauze pads. These were bizarrely saved in a FedEx box and stored in McNamee’s closet for over six years.
McNamee blamed his nagging wife for urging him to keep the steroid evidence. His now-estranged wife was upset and frustrated by McNamee’s decision to get involved with illegal anabolic steroids and performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).
“She kept saying in the midst of a battle royale you’re going to go down,” said McNamee. “If something ever happens.”
McNamee agreed to save the steroid evidence as protection in case his wife was correct in her misgivings regarding his involvement with steroids. Her prescience and his obedience paid off when McNamee was asked to corrobate his claims to have injected Clemens with steroids and hGH. While many experts expected defense attorney to discredit the evidence, Judge Reggie Walton ruled that the bloody syringes were admissible in court as evidence.
McNamee experienced tremendous regret at turning on his friends when he told the feds about their steroid use. He told Mitchell Report investigators that he injected Roger and his wife Debbie with performance-enhancing drugs. Clemens has admitted his wife used hGH but has adamantly denied using any banned performance-enhancing substance himself.
“I felt miserable because I got caught up in something that led me to have to tell the truth about my clients,” explained McNamee on the witness stand. “It destroyed me. It killed me. I broke a trust I believe by telling the truth.”
“I put myself in a situation where I had to do this, I had to tell the truth,” McNamee said. “I had to give up two of my best friends.”
McNamee is the prize witness testifying on behalf of the government since he had direct knowledge and participation in Clemens’ alleged steroid use. This makes the government’s case against Clemens much stronger than its case against Barry Bonds. Bonds steroid-injecting trainer Greg Anderson decided to go to jail on obstruction charges rather than testify against his former client. Anderson had a choice between prison and cooperation. McNamee had the same choice. But McNamee made a different decision.
Source:
Thompson, T. & Vinton, N. (May 15, 2012). Brian McNamee reveals estranged wife led him to save steroid-laced needles and medical waste. Retrieved from http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/i-team/brian-mcnamee-reveals-estranged-wife-led-save-steriod-laced-needles-medical-waste-article-1.1078902
