Trump says he will give Roger Clemens the Medal of Freedom
President Trump said Wednesday he will give pitcher Roger Clemens the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's top civilian honor. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards. But steroid suspicions, which he has always denied, have kept him out of the Hall of Fame.
President Donald Trump surprised Roger Clemens on Wednesday night by saying he will award the former pitcher the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Trump made the announcement near the end of a campaign rally in San Antonio that lasted more than 100 minutes, AP reported. Clemens had introduced the president earlier in the evening. Trump called him back to the stage.
"We're giving him the Presidential Medal of Freedom," Trump said. "He'll be in the Hall of Fame someday, but he deserves it. One of the greatest athletes, and maybe the greatest pitcher, of all time."
"Well, I'm stunned," Clemens said. "This supersedes anything that obviously I've done in my playing career." He added that there "wouldn't be another president I'd want to get it from." Clemens grew up in Houston and said he was honored the news came in his home state.
Clemens, known as "The Rocket," won 354 games and seven Cy Young Awards over 24 seasons. He pitched for the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and Houston Astros. He won two World Series titles with the Yankees, the New York Post noted.
He has never been voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was named in the 2007 Mitchell Report on steroid use in baseball. He never got more than 61.6% of the writers' vote, short of the 75% needed, the Post reported. He can still be considered by a Hall of Fame committee.
Clemens has always denied using performance-enhancing drugs. He testified to Congress that he never used them. He was later charged with lying to Congress and was found not guilty, USA Today reported. "By the way, people talk drugs. He never admitted to anything," Trump said. "They didn't find anything."
There is no formal process for choosing Medal of Freedom winners, and the picks often reflect the president's interests, USA Today noted, citing Congress.gov. Trump has given the medal to other athletes, including Tiger Woods, Roger Staubach and Mariano Rivera. Last year he pardoned the late Pete Rose, which led baseball to lift Rose's ban.
The White House has not announced when the medal will be presented.
What we know: Trump says Clemens will receive the medal.
What we don't: When the ceremony will be held.
Where outlets agree AP and USA Today both report Clemens said he was "stunned" and that the honor "supersedes" anything from his playing career.
Where they differ Trump says Clemens deserves the honor and the Hall of Fame, while baseball writers have repeatedly rejected him over steroid suspicions he has always denied.