Roger Clemens speaks to the media in Washington on Monday, June 18, after he was found not guilty of lying to Congress during an investigation of steroid use among Major League players. Click through the gallery for a look back at his career.
Clemens poses for his University of Texas season portrait in 1982. He played for them from 1982 until 1983.
Clemens pitches for the Boston Red Sox against the Toronto Blue Jays in 1990.
Clemens pitches for the Toronto Blue Jays at the Sky Dome in Toronto. He played for the team from 1997 to 1998.
Clemens watches the 2001 Home Run Derby with his two sons at Safeco Field in Seattle.
As the starting pitcher for the New York Yankees, Clemens throws out Los Angeles Angel's Darin Erstad during the first game of the American League Division Serios in 2002.
As a pitcher for the Houston Astros, Clemens attends a press conference at the Osaka Dome in Osaka, Japan, during an exhibition series between U.S. and Japanese professional baseball teams.
Clemens pitches for the New York Yankees against the Baltimore Orioles in 2007.
Clemens testifies about allegations of steroid use by professional baseball players before the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on February 13, 2008.
Clemens and his wife, Debbie Clemens, arrive at the U.S. District Court on July 6, 2010, in Washington, where he was on trial for perjury charges.





  • NEW: Baseball legend Roger Clemens thanks his family and defense team
  • NEW: His lawyer describes Clemens as "a hell of a man"
  • He was charged with obstruction of Congress, making false statements and perjury
  • A mistrial was declared about a year ago after inadmissible evidence was shown in court



Washington (CNN) -- Legendary baseball pitcher Roger Clemens was found not guilty Monday of lying to Congress during an investigation of steroid use among major league players.
The case against Clemens involved one count of obstruction of Congress, three counts of making false statements and two counts of perjury. He was not charged with illicit use of performance-enhancing drugs, but his denial of such use was part of the case against him.
A jury found him not guilty on all six counts.
Clemens wiped his eyes after the verdict was announced, then hugged his likewise emotional sons. His lawyer, Rusty Hardin, meanwhile, gave a thumbs-up to the jury before leaving the courtroom.

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"Mr. Clemens, you're free to go," Judge Reggie Walton said.
Minutes later, Clemens thanked his family, lawyers, former teammates and others who have supported him during the trial and in the years since he was accused of using illicit performance enhancing drugs.
"There was a lot of hard work into that career," he told reporters, choking up on the steps of the federal courthouse in Washington. "I appreciate my teammates that came in, and all the e-mails and phone calls."
Hardin thanked the jury, and lavished praise on his client for his demeanor and character.
"It has been four and a half years since we listened to a picture that doesn't match up at all," the lawyer said. "He's a hell of a man."
Federal prosecutor Courtney Saleski, in closing arguments, told jurors Clemens "wanted to protect his brand, he wanted to protect his livelihood," in denying the use of steroids during a 2008 investigation by the U.S. House of Representatives into the problem.
The Clemens defense team disputed whether the government had made its case, telling the jury all the evidence came through a former personal trainer, Brian McNamee, who had incentive to lie.
"You saw Brian McNamee, the only witness in the history of the world who says he gave or saw an injection of that man," said defense attorney Michael Attanasio. "One person in the entire world." During closing arguments, the defense cited the lack of corroborating witnesses.
It took about eight weeks for the prosecution and defense to question 46 witnesses, and the most direct conflict came among expert witnesses as to how to interpret a collection of discarded medical items that allegedly linked Clemens to steroid use. The pitcher did not take the stand in his defense.
Soiled medical wrappings, cotton balls, drug vials and hypodermic needles that McNamee kept were interpreted differently by each side. Witnesses for the government said genetic material linked with Clemens suggested it was impossible for McNamee to fabricate the evidence.
But defense witnesses on the same topic said storage in a beer can for years allowed commingling and contamination of materials, making reliable conclusions impossible, and the evidence nearly worthless.
This was the second trial for Clemens. About a year ago, a mistrial was declared before the case reached the jury. The government's lawyers played video evidence the judge had already banned. Prosecutors said it was an editing mistake, but the Clemens defense team suggested prosecutors were unprepared and had gotten off to a bad start.
Known as "The Rocket," Clemens was one of the most accomplished pitchers of his generation, earning seven Cy Young awards and 11 All-Star appearances before retiring in 2007. He was known for his blazing fastball -- his 4,672 strikeouts are the third most of any Major League pitcher -- as well as his endurance and excellence over all stages of his 24-year career.
But the Texas native made news for a different reason in 2007, when he was among a number of baseball stars -- along with others like Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield and Jason Giambi -- in a probe by Major League Baseball investigating the illicit use of performance-enhancing drugs. That probe was led by former U.S. Senator George Mitchell.
Yet despite being accused by his longtime former trainer, Clemens has consistently and strongly denied using steroids. That includes comments he made during the 2008 congressional hearing delving into the Mitchell Report and later in reaction to his six-count indictment.
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CNN's Paul Courson and Joe Johns contributed to this report.