Roger Clemens could have avoided the charges if he did the right thing years ago. Now, his arraigned is set because of several charges filed against him. He will be defending himself in the federal court for lying, making false statements and obstruction of justice. He will appear on Monday at the US District Court in Washington under Judge Reggie Walton.

Many have opined that if Roger Clemens did not volunteer himself in the Congressional inquiry, he will not be suffering from this long legal battle which may send him to jail if convicted. According to legal experts, Clemens may receive 12 to 20 months jail term if convicted of all the charges plus huge fine. The inquiry on the rampant use of performance enhancing drugs in baseball revealed so many baseball star players who allegedly used PED’s to improve their skills and gain competitive advantage.

Clemens, who was also called as the Rocket, was not spared from the controversy. His name appeared several times in the Mitchell Report and his former trainer Brian McNamee gave testimonies that he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone in many occasions. The testimony of Andy Pettite, (his former team mate in the NY Yankees) also put him into the bandwagon of steroid users in baseball. Pettite said that Clemens told him that he used HGH in 1999 or 2000.

In an effort to clear his name, Roger Clemens came to Congress and offered himself to be one of the resource persons. Former U.S. Rep. Tom Davis recalled that Clemens was not under subpoena. “He came voluntarily. He wanted to come to the committee and clear his name. “I sat there in the office with Henry Waxman and said, ‘Whatever you do, don’t lie,’” said Davis.

The former representative who is part of the House Panel investigating baseball’s steroid era told The Philly Inquirer that the indictment is a self inflicted wound on Roger Clemens. The committee believed that Clemens may not be telling the truth when he said that he never used steroids or human growth hormones. “When a witness, such as Roger Clemens, lies, as I think he did, he should be held accountable,” said Rep. Henry Waxman. Davis also said that they don’t have any choice but to refer the case to the Justice Department.

Clemens could have also decided to just accept the fact that if he really used steroids his name will really come out. If he followed what Mark McGwire did, he could have a better life right now like reviving his career in baseball. A former baseball legend also said in an interview that Clemens should have come clean. In the interview of ESPN, Pete Rose said he doesn’t believe that Clemens is telling the truth and the statement of Pettite is more credible.

Rose knows that Clemens will stick to his claim. “The only advice I’d give him would be something that he’s probably 120 percent against,” said Rose who was banned in baseball for betting on the game. He admitted his offense in 2004 but he wish he had come clean in 1989. “Because I would’ve saved myself a lot of grief, a lot of everything,” he said.

Judge Walton already issued a gag order for both parties including possible witnesses not to issue public statements that will affect the case. The perjury case of “The Rocket” is docketed as U.S. v. Clemens, 10-cr-00223, U.S. District Court, District of Columbia (Washington).

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