Jury hands Clemens big win

WASHINGTON - Give Roger Clemens one more victory, one that offers validation, at least in a legal sense, to the 354 games he won as one of the most accomplished pitchers in baseball history.

Instead of hugs on the mound from teammates, this one wrapped up with hugs from his family in the courtroom, with Clemens' wife dabbing his moist eyes with a tissue. It was a courthouse shutout for The Rocket vs. the government of the United States: acquittal Monday on all half-dozen counts that he lied to Congress when he denied using performance-enhancing drugs.

"I put a lot of hard work into that career," said Clemens, who had to stop and collect himself and fight back tears as he spoke to reporters outside the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse, a few blocks from the House office building where he testified four years ago.

"And so again I appreciate my teammates who came in and all the emails and phone calls. Thank y'all very much."

A trial that lasted into a 10th week produced less than 10 hours of jury deliberation over several days, capping an expensive, five-year investigation that is another blow to the government's legal pursuit of athletes accused of illicit drug use.

Clemens, 49, was charged with two counts of perjury, three counts of making false statements and one count of obstructing Congress when he testified at a deposition and at a nationally televised hearing in February 2008. The charges centered on his repeated denials that he used steroids and human growth hormone during a 24-year career with the Red Sox, Yankees, Blue Jays and Astros that produced a record seven Cy Young Awards.

"I hope those in the public who made up their minds before there was a trial will now back up and entertain the possibility of what he has always said - using steroids and HGH is cheating and it was totally contrary to his entire career," said Clemens' lead lawyer, Rusty Hardin.

After the jury foreman uttered "not guilty" for the sixth and final time, Clemens teared up, and one of his lawyers, Michael Attanasio, put his arm on the former pitcher's back. Clemens bit his lower tip, and rubbed a tear from his eye.

"Mr. Clemens, you're free to go," U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton said.

Family members and lawyers took turns hugging each other. Clemens and his four sons - two teenagers and two young adults - gathered in the middle of the courtroom, arms interlocked, like football players in a huddle, and sobbing could be heard. Then Clemens kissed his wife, Debbie, who had testified for him in the case.

Clemens did not take questions after his brief statement outside. The jury of eight women and four men declined comment through a court spokesman.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia issued a statement thanking the jury and stating respect for the judicial process. But it will be hard for prosecutors to put any kind of positive spin on another disappointing outcome for the Department of Justice.

A seven-year investigation into home run king Barry Bonds yielded a guilty verdict on only one count of obstruction of justice in a San Francisco court last year, with the jury deadlocked on whether Bonds lied to a grand jury when he denied knowingly taking performance-enhancing drugs.

The first attempt to try Clemens last year ended in a mistrial when prosecutors played a snippet of video evidence that had previously been ruled inadmissible.

The government's case relied heavily on Clemens' longtime strength coach, Brian McNamee, who testified he injected Clemens with steroids in 1998, 2000 and 2001 and with HGH in 2000. McNamee produced a needle and other materials he said were from a steroids injection of Clemens in 2001, items McNamee said he stored in and around a Miller Lite beer can inside a FedEx box for six years.

But McNamee was the only person to claim firsthand knowledge of Clemens using steroids and HGH, and even prosecutors conceded their star witness was a "flawed man."