There are some who will take me to task about the Roger Clemens court case, and my contention that the government wasted millions of dollars (according to an article in the Seattle Times) trying to convict the former star pitcher of lying to them about alleged steroid use. A jury found him not guilty, which is not necessarily the same as innocent, but might as well be as far as prosecutors are concerned.
Where is the victim of the crime?
Originally, the inquiry was based on allegations against Clemons and other major league players who were said to have used performance-enhancing drugs. Some of those, like the supplement slugger Mark Maguire admitted to have taken, were readily available at health food stores. Not illegal.
Athletes do a lot of performance-enhancing activities, but the difference between ethical and otherwise appears to occur when the player obtains an advantage through ingesting some chemical or additive. Again – who is the victim? The sport of baseball? The fans? Other players?
Did steroid-using players really have an advantage when other athletes had the same access and may well have participated, but never fell under the spotlight?
Is it up to Congress to referee the nation’s sports activities? Why are our tax dollars being spent on hearings in the first place?
There is no question that Roger Clemens was a force to be reckoned with in the sport of baseball. Whether he finds a spot in the hall of fame depends on whether voters will weigh his player statistics against the drug doubts, which will linger despite the jury’s decision.
Much like the case that prosecutors brought against one-time presidential candidate John Edwards, the trial ended with a failed prosecution after years of investigating and enough money to fund teacher salaries across numerous school districts. Clemens angered members of Congress who believed he lied to them. Edwards lied about a mistress and was charged with diverting campaign money to cover up the affair.
In both cases, the victims of the purported offenses aren’t clearly defined. Society, maybe?
At some point, common sense should have come into play. Regardless of the verdict, there is a possibility that the cases against the two men simply weren’t proven to the satisfaction of the jury.
All that money spent to teach a lesson, one that didn’t even stick.
You can read more about the steroid-baseball connection in Kirk Radmonski’s book, Bases Loaded.
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