When Roger Clemens was accused of taking steroids: "I've been accused of something I'm not guilty of"

Roger Clemens, a former MLB legend, had a historic career with mostly happy moments to cherish. But his off-field troubles after retirement have left him in a bad light.

In 2007, the Mitchell Report, which uncovered the usage of performance enhancing drugs in the world of baseball, was published. In the report, Roger Clemens was mentioned 82 times. Further testimony was given by his personal trainer Brian Mcnamee.

Clemens was asked to testify in front of a US Congressional Committee, where he swore that he never took steroids or discussed taking HGH with Mcnamee and denied all other charges labeled against him for the usage of any form of drugs.

Due to a lack of clarity in his statement, further proceedings were held against him for lying in court. During his congressional testimony, Clemens said:

"I've been accused of something I'm not guilty of. ... I've never taken steroids or HGH."

His defense argued in his favor that his longevity was a result of his hard work and sheer desire to succeed at the top level. Clemens' lawyer said:

"Roger Clemens' only crime was having the poor judgment to stay connected to Brian McNamee... It's a fact of life that sometimes when people reach the mountaintop, there is an unwillingness to give them equal consideration when people come down on them. And that's what happened to Roger."

Clemens was eventually found not guilty of either taking performance enhancing drugs or lying in front of Congress. But his legal troubles have had a major effect on his Hall of Fame induction. When his claim was put to a vote, he could secure around 65% of votes, 10% less than the required ballot percentage.

Regardless, the scars from the wounds are still fresh as he has been denied a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame since 2011.

Roger Clemens' MLB timeline

Roger Clemens started his MLB career with the Red Sox in 1983. He quickly made his place in the team and became their star pitcher. In 1986, he won the first of his record-setting seven Cy Young awards, having led the team to their first World Series in 11 years. He won the best pitcher award again in 1987 and 1991.

After moving to the Toronto Blue Jays, he dominated both his seasons there. He joined the New York Yankees in 1999 where he won his sixth American League Cy Young Award. He was then traded off to the Houston Astros, where he became just the fourth player to win the best pitcher award in both leagues.