If it were up to Roger Clemens, he wouldn’t talk about the Hall of Fame ever again.
He released a statement in 2022 after falling short off the ballot to get into Cooperstown.
To this day, he’s still not a fan of discussing it.
“Well, first of all, if I knew it was Hall of Fame day, I probably wouldn’t come on with y’all,” Clemens said Tuesday on Foul Territory. “Tells you how much I pay attention to it. It was in our read view mirror ten years ago.”
The Hall of Fame inducted three members on Tuesday: Todd Helton, Joe Mauer and Adrián Beltré.
As for the statement he released in 2022:
“Hey y’all! I figured I’d give y’all a statement since it’s that time of the year again. My family and I put the HOF in the rear view mirror ten years ago. I didn’t play baseball to get into the HOF. I played to make a generational difference in the lives of my family.
Then focus on winning championships while giving back to my community and the fans as well. It was my passion. I gave it all I had, the right way, for my family and for the fans who supported me.
I am grateful for that support. I would like to thank those who took the time to look at the facts and vote for me. Hopefully everyone can now close this book and keep their eyes forward focusing on what is really important in life. All love!
Rocket
Clemens’ chances for the Hall were diminished by the accusations he used performance-enhancing drugs during his MLB career which lasted 24 years. He earned seven Cy Young Awards, an MVP, 11 All-Star selections and earned the ERA title seven times during that span.
He was charged with perjury and obstruction of Congress after being accused of lying to a congressional committee that he never used PEDs. He was acquitted of all six counts following his 2012 trial.
“The Hall of Fame isn’t going to change my life one way or the other,” Clemens continued. “I was going to change the landscape of my family, my mom, my sisters. We came from just about nothing and I was going to change that. Then after that, it was back to like at the University of Texas when we won the national championship and beat Alabama. It was about winning championships once I got my feet, you know, firmly in the ground and realized, ‘Hey, I can play with these guys and this is going be a great living …'”
