Roger Clemens calls the report "dangerous and malicious and
reckless." Andy Pettitte insists he never took banned drugs.
Miguel Tejada says he is being smeared again by scandal.
Some of baseball's biggest stars responded with denials and
denunciations Sunday following a Los Angeles Times report in which
former pitcher Jason Grimsley accused five players of using
performance-enhancing drugs, according to a federal agent's
affidavit. The other players cited were Baltimore teammates
Brian Roberts and Jay Gibbons.
Grimsley once played with Clemens and Pettitte on the New York
Yankees and is now out of baseball. The reliever has admitted using
a variety of banned substances and was suspended for 50 games by
Major League Baseball.
Clemens and Pettitte, now teammates on the Houston Astros,
denied the allegations Sunday.
"I just think it's incredibly dangerous to sit out there and
just throw names out there," Clemens said Sunday before the Astros
played in Atlanta on the final day of the regular season. "I
haven't seen [the report], nor do I need to see it."
"For the people involved it is very dangerous and malicious and
reckless on the part of somebody ... to put something out there
with somebody else's writing on it," he added.
Clemens said he has been tested "plenty of times" and passed
every test.
Pettitte was "stunned" by the report.
"I played with Grimsley for a couple of years in New York and
had a great relationship with him," the pitcher said before the
Astros' game.
"I've never used any drugs to enhance my performance in
baseball. I don't know what else to say except to say it's
embarrassing my name would be out there."
In June, federal agents searched Grimsley's home in Arizona
after the pitcher admitted using human growth hormone, steroids and
amphetamines. Grimsley later was released by the Arizona
Diamondbacks.
In a search warrant affidavit signed by IRS Special Agent Jeff
Novitzky, the Times reported, he said Grimsley identified other
players who had used drugs. Those names were blacked out when the
document was released.
"As for Jason Grimsley's affidavit, we have no information
regarding how it was obtained or its accuracy," MLB spokesman
Richard Levin said Sunday.
All major league players are tested at least twice a year for
banned drugs. There is no test for HGH, but it is banned by the
sport. Former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell was hired by
MLB to investigate steroids in baseball.
The Times said an unidentified source with access to the
document -- minus the cross-outs -- allowed the newspaper see it but
kept the copy. The Times said a second source who had identified
the other players provided additional details about the document.
According to the affidavit, the Times said, Grimsley told
investigators Clemens and Pettitte "used athletic
performance-enhancing drugs."
Houston teammate Lance Berkman said he would be startled to find
either of the two pitchers involved, calling the matter
"irresponsible" and "unfortunate."
"You just have to be very, very careful when you make
accusations like that," he said. "You better be right about it."
The affidavit also alleged Grimsley told federal agents that
Roberts, Gibbons and Tejada, all with the Orioles, "took anabolic
steroids."
"What can I do? I spent one morning last year with Grimsley,"
Tejada said Sunday from Boston. "I mean, I already got thrown
under the bus with Palmeiro. No, I don't worry about that."
Rafael Palmeiro was suspended last season for using steroids and
suggested the positive test may have been the result of a vitamin
B-12 shot Tejada gave him. Tejada insisted he did nothing wrong.
"I've got to say, Rockets are hard to catch. I was
shocked to see those names on television this morning. Some big
names. I said, 'Here we go again."
-- Felipe Alou
Gibbons has said he has passed every test administered by
baseball.
"I'm as shocked as anybody else," he said.
Roberts derided the accusations as "ridiculous."
"We've had steroid testing, and I've taken all the tests," he
told The (Baltimore) Sun. "There is no point in getting into
verbal wars."
On Wednesday, Gibbons told ESPN The Magazine's Amy K. Nelson he had not seen a copy of the affidavit and was told by his agent and other journalists only that his name was on the document. He also said he thought he was named as part of the group Grimsley referred to when discussing amphetamines. "I barely knew [Grimsley]," Gibbons said.
In June, the Orioles' front office held separate meetings with Tejada, Gibbons and Roberts, according to three sources. The context of the conversations was to inform the players that their names were rumored to be on the affidavit, and that they should all consult their lawyers. According to one source in the room, it was simply a forewarning, and no other intimate information related to the affidavit was shared.
Novitzky also was the lead investigator in the Bay Area
Laboratory Co-Operative probe. Two BALCO officials and Barry Bonds'
personal trainer, Greg Anderson, served jail time after guilty
pleas in that investigation.
Grimsley has complained to friends, the Times said, that federal
agents attributed statements to him that he did not make.
Randy Hendricks, who represents Clemens and Pettitte, told The
Associated Press he questions the conduct of the federal agents.
"I've grown weary of having to defend (Clemens) from innuendo
and conjecture about every six months for the last several years
when he's complied with all of the rules and regulations,"
Hendricks said. "Andy is just surprised and stunned, and has no
knowledge of any such activity."
Atlanta Braves star Chipper Jones called Clemens and Pettitte
"iconic figures" and is convinced of their innocence.
Giants manager Felipe Alou was asked how he thinks Clemens will
be treated compared to Bonds.
"I've got to say, Rockets are hard to catch," he said. "I was
shocked to see those names on television this morning. Some big
names. I said, 'Here we go again."'
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.