Bad publicity may affect Clemens suit
NEW YORK - Roger Clemens's lawyer says he will talk with his client about whether to press ahead with a defamation suit following a wave of unpleasant publicity in the wake of reports linking the pitcher to numerous women.
"He's getting pummeled," attorney Rusty Hardin said yesterday.
The Daily News reported Monday that Clemens had a decade-long relationship with country star Mindy McCready that began when she was a 15-year-old aspiring singer and Clemens was with the Red Sox. Hardin said then "at no time did Roger engage in any kind of inappropriate or improper relationship with her." McCready was quoted by the News as saying: "I cannot refute anything in the story."
In subsequent days, the newspaper has linked Clemens, a married father of four, to former Manhattan bartender Angela Moyer and Paulette Dean Daly, a former wife of golfer John Daly.
Paulette Daly told the newspaper she and Clemens are friends but would not say if she had been romantically involved with the seven-time Cy Young Award winner.
"You know what, I'm really uncomfortable talking about this. I'm just going to have to say 'no comment,' " Daly said in Thursday's editions. "I know Roger. I consider him a good friend. That's all I'm comfortable saying."
Following the release of the Mitchell Report in December, Clemens filed a defamation suit against Brian McNamee, his former trainer. McNamee accused Clemens of using performance-enhancing drugs in 1998, 2000 and 2001, before they were banned by baseball.
"There hasn't been any change in plans," Hardin said. "Everybody keeps asking these questions. We'll sit down and see what his views are."
The decision on whether to drop the suit rests with Clemens.
"That's always a decision the client has to make. That's not the lawyer's decision," Hardin said. "I've never seen somebody get beat up like this. In some ways, I think we're on uncharted ground."
Hardin has been busy with a trial in Las Vegas. Although he spoke with Clemens Monday, Hardin hasn't discussed the suit in detail with Clemens in several weeks.
Richard Emery, one of McNamee's lawyers, said he would be surprised if the suit is dropped.
"It's much too rational a move for them to make," he said. "Everything about the way they've handled this case is irrational, so I wouldn't expect them to act rationally now."
