Roger Clemens and the 15 Most Shocking Athlete Court Trials
Roger Clemens won't go to trial now until next summer.
The former pitcher and Cy Young winner was told Wednesday that his federal court trial had been postponed until next July as attorneys comb through over 54,000 pages of evidence gathered during a 2 1/2 year investigation. It centers around allegations that Clemens lied about using performance enhancing drugs.
Clemens originally made headlines in 2008, when he testified before a House committee in Congress, seeking to clear his name after it was mentioned in the Mitchell Report.
"Let me be clear. I have never taken steroids or HGH,'' he said then.
Clemens is facing six counts, three including making false statements, two for perjury, and another for obstruction of Congress. If convicted, he could serve 30 years in prison but under federal guidelines, it could be reduced to 15 to 21 months.
This isn't the first time an athlete has been on trial but it is one of the more shocking trials. Would you have ever suspected this and with a player like Clemens, who allegedly lied before the United States Congress?
It's crazy, but worse than some other trials? Let's see where it ranks among these 15:
15. Plaxico Burress
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The former New York Giants receiver is serving two years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon. Burress brought a .40-caliber gun into a night club and ended up shooting himself.
He is eligible for parole next year.
14. Denny McClain
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The former Detroit Tigers star pitcher served 12 years for drug trafficking, embezzlement, and racketeering.
13. Alonzo Spellman
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Everyone knew Spellman was incredibly talented, but he also struggled tremendously with mental illness throughout his career.
In 2003, he was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after threatening passengers and crew on a Delta Airlines flight. Spellman threatened passengers, a stewardess, screamed about the plane crashing, and said he would open the cabin door while flying.
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12. Dwight Gooden
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He was so young and talented, but struggled with drugs while with the New York Mets.
It seemed like he kicked it for good, but was arrested in March 2006 for probation violation. Reports state he was high on cocaine during a meeting with his probation officer. He wound up serving seven months in prison.
11. Marion Jones
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It appeared she was perhaps the greatest female Olympic track athlete in American history.
In 2007, she admitted to lying to federal agents about using steroids and was sentenced to six months in prison.
Were her actions worse than others? Certainly not. But she was a role model to many and an example of athletes who succeeded the right way.
10. Roger Clemens
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It's not shocking that he may have been one of hundreds who took steroids during the Steroid Era.
But to allegedly lie about it before Congress? That makes no sense.
9. Mike Tyson
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It looked like no one would touch Iron Mike.
But suddenly, he lost to unknown James "Buster" Douglas and then he was convicted of raping Desiree Washington.
At the very height of his career, everything came crumbling down.
8. Michael Irvin
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No one will forget that day in 1996 when the former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver showed up to court, wearing a full-length mink coat.
Irvin was charged with cocaine possession at a party for his 30th birthday. He pled no contest, and served no time.
7. Ugueth Urbina
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The former pitcher is currently serving time in a Venezuelan jail for attempted murder.
According to reports, Urbina and a group of men allegedly beat some farmhands with machetes, poured gas and paint thinner on them, then tried to light them on fire.
6. Ray Lewis
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The Ravens linebacker pled guilty to obstruction of justice and received 12 months probation.
The charges stemmed from an incident following a Super Bowl party earlier that year where two people died from stab wounds.
5. Dwayne Goodrich
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The former Dallas Cowboy and University of Tennessee player remains in prison for criminally negligent homicide stemming from a hit-and-run accident.
4. Robert Rozier
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Rozier played just six games for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1979.
The defensive end was released and joined a cult led by Yahweh Ben Yahweh. Eventually, Rozier served 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to murdering four people and confessing to three others.
3. Rae Carruth
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The former Carolina Panther was arrested for conspiracy to commit murder when he shot his pregnant girlfriend four times. The baby was delivered via emergency c-section, 10 weeks premature, and Cherica Adams didn't survive.
Carruth was then charged with murder and found hiding in a car trunk outside a motel.
2. Michael Vick
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Anyone who's ever owned a dog, or pet, was unnerved by stories of his involvement in an illegal dog fighting ring.
1. O.J. Simpson
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No, we're not talking about his recent trial, which sent him to prison. We're talking about the trial that captivated the country and the world.
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