Former MLB pitcher Roger Clemens has been indicted for perjury, "charges of making false statements to Congress about his use of performance-enhancing drugs."
The charges stem from February of 2008, when Clemens swore under oath before a Congressional committee that he never used performance-enhancing drugs, nor had he ever discussed doing so with teammates (he said that Andy Pettitte "misremembered the conversation"). Clemens directly contradicted the testimony of Brian McNamee, his former trainer, who linked Clemens to baseball's banned substances in the Mitchell Report, which stated that McNamee had directly injected Clemens himself with PEDs.
In all, Clemens is charged with three counts of making false statements and two counts of perjury.
Clemens faces a maximum of 30 years in prison and a $1.5 million fine, but it's likely a conviction would bring only 15-21 months.
But any punishment -- or even a trial -- is still a long way away, says NBC's Craig Calcaterra.
... an accusation does not necessarily make a conviction likely, especially in a perjury case, especially in this perjury case. Many of Clemens' statements are exceedingly difficult to square with known facts and common sense. At the same time, many of the witnesses against Clemens already face credibility issues, Brian McNamee chief among them. Even if you believe, as I am inclined to, that Clemens was not truthful during his Congressional testimony, convicting him of perjury will be no easy feat.
Clemens pitched for the Red Sox (1984-96), Blue Jays (1997-98), Yankees (1999-2003, and again in 2007) and Astros (2004-06) during his 24-year career. He won seven Cy Young awards and one MVP.