Clemens is steadfast in denying accusation

Former Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens issued a denial yesterday about an accusation that he used performance-enhancing drugs, and he threatened legal action if it affects sponsorship of his charitable foundation.

Clemens and four other major leaguers were accused by former big league pitcher Jason Grimsley of using the drugs, according to a federal agent's affidavit, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Grimsley, once a Clemens teammate and who pitched for Arizona this season, received a 50-game ban from major league baseball after admitting to the use of human growth hormone, steroids, and amphetamines.

Clemens -- speaking to reporters in Atlanta just before the start of yesterday's loss to the Braves that eliminated Houston from playoff contention -- said, ``Grimsley never worked out with myself or Andy [Pettitte] at any point [when the three were teammates on the Yankees]. I don't know where that's coming from. When it's going to take a serious turn for me is when one of my sponsors pulls out. Then somebody's going to be responsible for that. Then my lawyers will take over from there."

Clemens added, ``I just think it's incredibly dangerous to sit out there and just throw names out there. I haven't seen [the report], nor do I need to see it. I've been tested plenty of times. My physicals I've taken, they've taken my blood work, I've passed every test. I just find it amazing that you can throw anybody out there."

``Roger passed Olympic testing in the World Baseball Classic," said Clemens's agent, Randy Hendricks, from Houston. ``He has passed every test he has taken. No one can have any doubt about how well he has continued to pitch without any question of performance-enhancing drugs."

Hendricks defended Pettitte, another client and one of the others named along with Orioles Miguel Tejada, Brian Roberts, and Jay Gibbons. The agent went after the merits of the Times report as well.

``The affidavit is from an agent reciting things he recalls to get a search warrant," said Hendricks. ``It isn't anything Grimsley said, and Grimsley denies saying what is in the affidavit. None of it would be admissible in a court of law.

``It is just a shame that a big story is made out of someone finding out names in a redacted affidavit. The quality of this by the LA Times rivals the recent media `revelation' of the solving of the murder of JonBenet Ramsey."

In the Times story, sources close to Grimsley indicated the pitcher was upset by the things attributed to him in the affidavit.

At Fenway Park yesterday, the Orioles mentioned in the affidavit, also teammates of Grimsley at one time, also denied the report.

Tejada became agitated with reporters who tried to approach him inside the clubhouse before yesterday's season finale.

Tejada yelled out, ``I don't have a comment. What can I do? I just played one [year] with Grimsley. I already got thrown under the bus with [Rafael] Palmeiro. I'm not worried about it." (Palmeiro was suspended last season for using steroids and suggested the positive test may have resulted from a vitamin B-12 shot Tejada gave him.)

Said Gibbons, ``There's nothing more to say on it. I'm as shocked as anybody else."

Asked whether he would contact Grimsley, Gibbons said, ``There's no reason to. I never talked to him. I briefly talked to him when I played with him. I haven't talked to him since he's been gone. I mean, he was hardly on our team last year. He was hurt all year."

Gibbons said he's been tested three times this season and as late as a week and a half ago.

There is no testing for human growth hormone, though it does appear on major league baseball's list of banned substances.

``It's a lot of hearsay," said former Red Sox outfielder Kevin Millar, now with the Orioles. ``The sad thing is it's just basically one guy saying he said [this and that] with no evidence, no proof, no nothing. So your name gets smeared out there before you're proven guilty, before anything. So anybody can say anything about whatever.

``Obviously, there's going to be a guy or two that's probably guilty and there's obviously going to be a guy or two that's probably not guilty. That's the sad thing. When you deal with some stuff like that, you never know.

``Right now, I don't know a whole lot about what's going on," Millar added. ``I know it just came out last night, but I feel bad for Gibbons, Roberts, and Tejada. It seems like something goes on with Tejada every year. He kind of giggles about it, someone's throwing him under the bus. He's just a big name, he was MVP in 2002, and that's the story."

Pettitte mentioned how hard he and Clemens worked to get into top shape.

``People can draw their own conclusions," Pettitte told reporters in Atlanta. ``The thing that hurts is that I have absolutely killed myself over my career to work as hard as I possibly can to be as good as I possibly can. And I've done it natural.

``And that's what hurts is all the years of beating myself up. The five years that me and Roger were in New York together absolutely killing each other training-wise. It's a shame."

Major League Baseball spokesman Rich Levin said in a statement yesterday, ``As for Jason Grimsley's affidavit, we have no information regarding how it was obtained or its accuracy."

Levin touted MLB's ``toughest and most comprehensive drug-testing program in professional sports to deal with the issue. In addition to the [former] Senator [George] Mitchell investigation, which is ongoing, we are funding drug-testing expert, Dr. Don Catlin of UCLA, to find a urine test for HGH, and we have partnered with the Taylor Hooton Foundation and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America to educate people about the dangers of performance-enhancing substances.

``We are doing everything we can to eliminate the use of performance-enhancing substances and amphetamines from the game."

In New York, the Yankees had little reaction to the story.

Veteran outfielder Bernie Williams, a former teammate of Clemens and Pettitte, said, ``I knew that story was going to have a lot of repercussions. I don't have any facts right now. I'm obviously really surprised."

Information from Globe reporter Amalie Benjamin and wire services was used in this report.