Sunday, December 28, 2008

Houston hospital to remove Clemens' name

HOUSTON -- The Roger Clemens Institute for Sports Medicine, which opened in January 2007, will no longer carry the embattled pitching great's name.

The Memorial Hermann Hospital Health Care System announced Saturday that Clemens' name will be removed, effective Thursday, as the fallout from the Mitchell report continues to haunt the winner of 354 major league games and seven Cy Young awards.

The facility will be renamed the Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute.

In its statement, the hospital said the decision to take off Clemens' name was made "to better reflect its commitment to all sports and athletes" and that "the move reflects the desire to promote the broad range of sports medicine services and programs offered by Memorial Hermann."

In November, the New York Daily News reported that Clemens has been asked to end his involvement with a charity golf tournament in Houston that he has hosted for four years.

Although Clemens helped raise millions of dollars for the charities associated with the event, the Giff Nielsen Day of Golf for Kids was held Nov. 11 at Houston's Shadow Hawk Golf Club without him.

Despite its move to disassociate itself with the pitcher, Memorial Hermann Hospital said "Roger Clemens remains committed to working with us to champion youth sports and develop aspiring baseball players."

Clemens donated $3 million to Memorial Hermann for a pediatric wing at Memorial Hermann's Children's Hospital.

Clemens has denied using performance-enhancing drugs since he was identified in former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell's report on drug use in baseball. He filed a defamation lawsuit last January against his former trainer, Brian McNamee, who claims he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone.

Federal prosecutors also are looking into whether Clemens committed perjury when he testified under oath in front of a congressional committee that he never used PEDs.

Clemens is eligible for Hall of Fame election in 2013, but McNamee's allegations may have irreparably damaged Clemens' chances of induction. Clemens has since filed a defamation lawsuit against McNamee.


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