Clemens changed story, Andy Pettitte tells jury

WASHINGTON —One-timenewyork Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte testified Tuesday that former teammate and close friend Roger Clemens told him he had taken human growth hormone but, years later, said he had been referring to his wife’s use of the drug.

Pettitte is one of the most anticipated witnesses in the trial of Clemens, charged with lying to Congress about his alleged use of performanceenhancing drugs. They became teammates and longtime friends who worked with the same personal trainer, Brian Mcnamee, another important figure in the case.

Clemens had spoken to him about drug use while they were working out in Houston during the offseason in 1999 or 2000 under Mcnamee’s direction, jurors at U.S. district court were told by Pettitte, who now is in the Yankees’ farm system in a comeback bid.

“Clemens mentioned that he had taken human growth hormone, it could help with recovery, and that’s all I really remember about the conversation,” he testified.

Under questioning by prosecutor Steven Durham, Pettitte said he then approached Mcnamee about using HGH, probably the same day.

Pettitte, 39, said he used the hormone in 2002 and 2004 to recover from injuries. Then in 2005, when he and Clemens were in Florida for spring training with the Houston Astros, he again spoke again with Clemens about his alleged use of human growth hormone, saying he had heard about upcoming congressional hearings on drug use in baseball and was concerned that media attention could focus on him.

“He just said, ‘What are you talking about?’ And I said, ‘Well, didn’t you tell me that you used it?’ And he said, ‘No, I didn’t tell you that, I told you my wife Debbie used it,’” Pettitte said.

He testified he was unsure of its effectiveness and regretted taking it because of the furor that has arisen.

Pettitte said he had never seen any sign that Clemens, one of the most feared pitchers in baseball during his 24-year career, had ever used performance-enhancing drugs.