Sen. Mitchell Reached Out to Clemens

Jan, 14, 2007 — -- Former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell twice tried to talk to Roger Clemens about his alleged steroid use included in his report before its release, USA Today reported Monday.

Mitchell twice sent letters to the Major League Baseball Players' Association requesting to speak to players who would be mentioned in the report. The letters included the dates of their alleged steroid use and the teams they played for when they allegedly used performance-enhancing drugs.

In an e-mail sent to USA Today, Mitchell said he sent letters to the players' union in the summer and in October, requesting to talk to players named in the report.

In the October letter, Mitchell wrote: "During the course of any such interview, I will inform the player of the evidence of their use, including permitting him to examine and answer questions about copies of relevant checks, mailing receipts, or other documents, and give him an opportunity to respond."

In the first letter sent to the union, Mitchell told the newspaper that he provided detailed information regarding players who would be named in the report.

"We identified the year(s) during which the alleged use had occurred and the club(s) with which the players were then affiliated," Mitchell wrote to USA Today. "Roger Clemens was one of the players listed in those letters."

Last Monday, Clemens claimed he did not know that he was going to be named in the Mitchell report and that Mitchell wouldn't disclose the nature of the allegations to his agents.

"They wouldn't respond to what it was about," Clemens said. "Obviously if I had known what Brian McNamee was saying about me I would have been there."

McNamee, Clemens' former trainer, told the Mitchell Commission that he injected the seven-time Cy Young Award winner with steroids and human growth hormone 16-21 times in 1998, 2000 and 2001. Clemens asserts that the trainer injected him with only the painkiller lidocaine and the vitamin B-12.

Clemens has denied the allegations and has filed a defamation lawsuit against McNamee.