Legal News

Pettitte Excused from Testimony in Rocket Roid Case

By Dan Slater

And then there were two.

Embattled Yankee ace, Andy Pettitte, received a reprieve from testifying publicly in tomorrow’s Congressional showdown between Roger Clemens and the man accusing him of steroid use, Brian McNamee. Last night, the chairman and ranking Republican of the House Committee on Ovesight and Government Reform together issued a statement excusing Pettitte, as well as Chuck Knoblauch, one of Clemens’s former Yankee teammates, and Kurt Radomski, an admitted steroid dealer who on Friday received five years probation from a California district judge.

“Mr. Knoblauch and Mr. Pettitte answered all the Committee’s questions and their testimony at the hearing is not needed,” read the statement. “Mr. Clemens and Mr. McNamee have also cooperated with the Committee in its investigation.”

According to reports — here and here — Pettitte’s excusal is further indication that in his deposition last week he corroborated the story, alleged by McNamee, that McNamee injected both Pettitte and Clemens with human growth hormone in 2001 and 2002. A source told the NYP that Pettitte verified a story McNamee told in his deposition about training at Clemens’ home in 2002 with both Clemens and Pettitte. McNamee said that during a break, Pettitte said to him something like, “How come you don’t give me the same stuff you give Roger?” indicating Clemens told Pettitte about his human growth hormone use.

One of Clemens’s lawyers, Beltway-insider Lanny Breuer, reiterated to the Times that Clemens never took steroids. Breuer said: “It’s my view that Andy Pettitte should do whatever makes sense for Andy Pettitte, and whatever makes him most comfortable.”

Interesting law-biz side note on Covington’s representation of Clemens: According to this report in the American Lawyer, another Covington client, Major League Baseball, is none too happy that Covington agreed to rep Clemens without first checking in.

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on February 12, 2008 (boomark / email).