Defiant Clemens says he never used steroids

Roger Clemens dismissed claims that his former strength coach repeatedly injected him with steroids and human growth hormone as “hogwash” and said such a series of injections would have left him so strong that “I should have a third ear coming out of my forehead and I should be pulling tractors with my teeth.”

In his first interview since the Mitchell Report revealed Brian McNamee’s claims that he injected Clemens at least 16 times over a four-year period, the seven-time Cy Young Award winner said he would consider taking a polygraph test or filing suit against McNamee but angrily suggested he might never get a fair shake with the public no matter how he might defend himself.

“I don’t know if I can defend myself,” Clemens told CBS’ “60 Minutes” in a segment that aired Sunday. “A lot of people have made their decision. And that’s our country, isn’t it -- guilty before innocent.”

Earl Ward, the attorney for McNamee, said Clemens was “fairly impassioned” but “disingenuous” in his comments.

“I think it was a desperate plea from a man trying to save his legacy,” Ward said.

McNamee’s assertions -- and Clemens’ denials -- set up a potentially volatile showdown in Congress next week, when each man is expected to testify under oath. Rusty Hardin, the attorney for Clemens, said he expected to learn today whether he can be excused from a previously scheduled trial to accompany Clemens to Washington.

Clemens is expected to face reporters today in a nationally televised news conference in his hometown of Houston. Ward said he wants to hear Clemens in his news conference and in Congress before recommending whether McNamee should file a defamation lawsuit against Clemens.

In the CBS interview, Clemens said he followed the advice of counsel in declining Mitchell’s invitation to meet before the report was issued. He said he was unaware of the specific allegations made by McNamee and “shocked” by them.

“If I would have known what this man -- Brian McNamee -- said in the report, I would have been down there in a heartbeat to take care of it,” Clemens said.

In the report, Mitchell said he asked Clemens to meet “in order to provide Clemens with information about these allegations and to give him an opportunity to respond.”

Mike Wallace of “60 Minutes” read the specific allegations in the report to Clemens, who said each alleged injection never happened.

McNamee also told Mitchell he had injected Andy Pettitte, a teammate and close friend of Clemens, with HGH. Pettitte has since confirmed McNamee’s account. Wallace asked why McNamee would tell the truth about Pettitte but lie about Clemens, but Clemens did not answer directly.

“Andy’s case is totally separate,” Clemens said. “I was shocked to learn about Andy’s situation.”

Clemens said he had received numerous injections of painkillers and vitamins from team trainers -- and from McNamee -- during his career, paying what he said was the price for pitching regularly.

He said he is concerned for his health that he often took Vioxx, the popular painkiller withdrawn from the market in 2004 after its manufacturer acknowledged the medication could increase risk of heart attack and stroke.

“I was eating Vioxx like it was Skittles,” Clemens said.

Clemens said he would consider a polygraph test but isn’t sure “if they’re good or bad.” He also isn’t sure whether to pursue a defamation lawsuit against McNamee.

“Everybody’s talking about sue, sue, sue,” Clemens said. “Should I sue? Yeah, let me exhaust . . . let me just spend, let me just keep spending.

“But I’m going to explore what I can do, and then I want to see if it’s going to be worth all the headache.”

Clemens, 45, said he “probably will not play again.” If he retires -- and he has reneged on that pledge before -- his distinguished career would end under two dark clouds.

In his final game last season, in the New York Yankees’ division series loss to the Cleveland Indians, he could not complete the third inning because of a hamstring injury. Two months later, the Mitchell Report identified him as a serial user of performance-enhancing drugs.

“I’m going to do everything I can to prove them wrong,” Clemens said. “I still don’t know if that’s good enough.”

bill.shaikin@latimes.com