Brian McNamee
Encyclopedia
Brian Gerard McNamee is a former New York City
police officer
, personal trainer
, and strength and conditioning coach in Major League Baseball
who is most notable for testify
ing against former New York Yankees
pitcher
Roger Clemens
at a 2008 United States
Congressional
hearing
that concerned the veracity
of the 2007 George J. Mitchell
Report
.
McNamee grew up in Breezy Point
, Queens
. He attended Archbishop Molloy High School
and majored in athletic administration at St. John's University
in Queens. At one point he was employed at St John's University, teaching in the sports management program.
including anabolic steroids, amphetamine
s, and human growth hormone
(HGH) for some or all of the players he personally trained, who included Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte
, and Chuck Knoblauch
. McNamee told the Mitchell Commission during their 20-month
investigation that he began injecting Clemens with steroids during the 1998
season and that he continued to provide these steroids through 2001
. Given the dominant performances produced by Clemens from that time forward, such that Clemens had become widely expected to be a future member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame
, many feel that this claim constitutes the most incendiary accusation in the Mitchell Report.
On January 4, 2008, Clemens had a telephone
conversation with McNamee in which Clemens stated he "just wants the truth" from someone, never actually telling his former personal trainer to come out and clear the pitcher's name. Clemens said many times in the conversation that the steroid accusations were false; McNamee never agreed or disagreed when this statement was made, simply pleading, "...tell me what you want me to do." McNamee did state, however, "It is what it is," meaning he told the truth.
Clemens filed a lawsuit
against McNamee shortly before the recorded conversation for defamation of character. McNamee's attorneys argued that McNamee was compelled to cooperate by federal officials and thus his statements were protected. A federal judge agreed, throwing out all claims related to McNamee's statements to investigators on February 13, 2009 but allowing the case to proceed on statements McNamee made about Clemens to Andy Pettitte.
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on February 13, 2008, where both men reinforced their claims that the other was lying during the Congressional hearing. In the days leading up, McNamee claimed Clemens' wife, Debra, was also given HGH in 2003 to prepare for the upcoming Sports Illustrated
swimsuit issue
, which she did later confirm, but stated her husband was unaware of her using the drug. Pettitte admitted to also using HGH, obtaining it on one occasion from McNamee in 2002 and again in 2004 from his own father.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
police officer
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
, personal trainer
Personal trainer
A personal trainer is a fitness professional involved in exercise prescription and instruction. They motivate clients by setting goals and providing feedback and accountability to clients. Trainers also measure their client's strengths and weaknesses with fitness assessments...
, and strength and conditioning coach in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
who is most notable for testify
Testimony
In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. All testimonies should be well thought out and truthful. It was the custom in Ancient Rome for the men to place their right hand on a Bible when taking an oath...
ing against former New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Roger Clemens
Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens , nicknamed "Rocket", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who broke into the league with the Boston Red Sox, whose pitching staff he would help anchor for 12 years. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, more than any other pitcher. He played for four different teams over...
at a 2008 United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Congressional
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
hearing
Hearing (law)
In law, a hearing is a proceeding before a court or other decision-making body or officer, such as a government agency.A hearing is generally distinguished from a trial in that it is usually shorter and often less formal...
that concerned the veracity
Truth
Truth has a variety of meanings, such as the state of being in accord with fact or reality. It can also mean having fidelity to an original or to a standard or ideal. In a common usage, it also means constancy or sincerity in action or character...
of the 2007 George J. Mitchell
George J. Mitchell
George John Mitchell, Jr., is the former U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Peace under the Obama administration. A Democrat, Mitchell was a United States Senator who served as the Senate Majority Leader from 1989 to 1995...
Report
Mitchell Report (baseball)
The Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball, informally known as the "Mitchell Report", is the result of former Democratic United States Senator from Maine...
.
McNamee grew up in Breezy Point
Breezy Point, Queens
Breezy Point is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens, located on the western end of the Rockaway peninsula, between Rockaway Inlet and Jamaica Bay on the landward side, and the Atlantic Ocean. The neighborhood is governed by Queens Community Board 14...
, Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
. He attended Archbishop Molloy High School
Archbishop Molloy High School
Archbishop Molloy High School is a co-educational, college preparatory, Catholic school for grades 9-12, located on in the Briarwood section of Queens in New York City, thirty minutes east of Manhattan. Molloy currently has an endowment of about $6,000,000 . The school's current principal is Br...
and majored in athletic administration at St. John's University
St. John's University (New York City)
St. John's University is a private, Roman Catholic, coeducational university located in New York City, United States. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission in 1870, the school was originally located in the borough of Brooklyn in the neighborhood of Bedford–Stuyvesant...
in Queens. At one point he was employed at St John's University, teaching in the sports management program.
The Mitchell Report
McNamee gained notoriety following the release of Major League Baseball's Mitchell Report, which alleges that McNamee helped acquire performance-enhancing drugsPerformance-enhancing drugs
Performance-enhancing drugs are substances used by athletes to improve their performances in the sports in which they engage.- Types of performance-enhancing drugs :...
including anabolic steroids, amphetamine
Amphetamine
Amphetamine or amfetamine is a psychostimulant drug of the phenethylamine class which produces increased wakefulness and focus in association with decreased fatigue and appetite.Brand names of medications that contain, or metabolize into, amphetamine include Adderall, Dexedrine, Dextrostat,...
s, and human growth hormone
Growth hormone treatment
Growth hormone treatment refers to the use of growth hormone in medical treatment. Growth hormone is a peptide hormone secreted by the pituitary gland that stimulates growth and cell reproduction. In the past, growth hormone was extracted from human pituitary glands. GH is now produced by...
(HGH) for some or all of the players he personally trained, who included Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte
Andy Pettitte
Andrew Eugene Pettitte is a retired American left-handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher.In his major league career, he played for the New York Yankees from 1995–2003. He then signed with the Houston Astros, and played for them from 2004 through 2006. In 2007, Pettitte rejoined the Yankees...
, and Chuck Knoblauch
Chuck Knoblauch
Edward Charles "Chuck" Knoblauch is a retired Major League Baseball player. He played all or part of twelve seasons in the majors, from until , for the Minnesota Twins , New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals...
. McNamee told the Mitchell Commission during their 20-month
Month
A month is a unit of time, used with calendars, which was first used and invented in Mesopotamia, as a natural period related to the motion of the Moon; month and Moon are cognates. The traditional concept arose with the cycle of moon phases; such months are synodic months and last approximately...
investigation that he began injecting Clemens with steroids during the 1998
1998 Major League Baseball season
*American League Championship Series MVP: David Wells**American League Division Series:*National League Championship Series MVP: Sterling Hitchcock**National League Division Series*All-Star Game, July 7 at Coors Field: American League, 13-8; Roberto Alomar, MVP...
season and that he continued to provide these steroids through 2001
2001 Major League Baseball season
The Major League Baseball season finished with the Arizona Diamondbacks defeating the New York Yankees in a Game 7 of the 2001 World Series. The attacks of September 11 pushed the end of the regular-season from September 30 to October 7. Because of that, the World Series was not completed until...
. Given the dominant performances produced by Clemens from that time forward, such that Clemens had become widely expected to be a future member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
, many feel that this claim constitutes the most incendiary accusation in the Mitchell Report.
On January 4, 2008, Clemens had a telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
conversation with McNamee in which Clemens stated he "just wants the truth" from someone, never actually telling his former personal trainer to come out and clear the pitcher's name. Clemens said many times in the conversation that the steroid accusations were false; McNamee never agreed or disagreed when this statement was made, simply pleading, "...tell me what you want me to do." McNamee did state, however, "It is what it is," meaning he told the truth.
Clemens filed a lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
against McNamee shortly before the recorded conversation for defamation of character. McNamee's attorneys argued that McNamee was compelled to cooperate by federal officials and thus his statements were protected. A federal judge agreed, throwing out all claims related to McNamee's statements to investigators on February 13, 2009 but allowing the case to proceed on statements McNamee made about Clemens to Andy Pettitte.
Congressional hearing
Both McNamee and Clemens were called to the House of RepresentativesUnited States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on February 13, 2008, where both men reinforced their claims that the other was lying during the Congressional hearing. In the days leading up, McNamee claimed Clemens' wife, Debra, was also given HGH in 2003 to prepare for the upcoming Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
swimsuit issue
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue is published annually by Sports Illustrated. It features fashion models wearing swimwear in exotic locales. According to some, the magazine is the arbiter of supermodel succession. In addition, the issue is a media nexus that in 2005 carried in advertising....
, which she did later confirm, but stated her husband was unaware of her using the drug. Pettitte admitted to also using HGH, obtaining it on one occasion from McNamee in 2002 and again in 2004 from his own father.