Roger Clemens Found Not Guilty of Perjury

Years after he actually testified to Congress, a jury has found Roger Clemens not guilty of six counts of perjury for lying to them about using steroids and growth hormones when he testified at the Capitol in 2008.

Years after he actually testified to Congress, a jury has found Roger Clemens not guilty of six counts of perjury for lying to them about using steroids and growth hormones when he testified at the Capitol in 2008. The case against the pitcher has dragged on thanks to a mistrial the first time around, so here we are in 2012 with an answer. Had he been convicted, Clemens would have faced a maximum of 30 years in prison, so this must come as quite a relief.

The Washington Post has a great, in-depth recap of the trial and the arguments. (Fun fact, two jurors were dismissed this time around for falling asleep! Sounds like an exciting trial...) The Post's Ann E. Marimow and Del Quentin Wilber note:

In reaching a verdict, the panel of eight women and four men had to decide whether Clemens's answers to questions from Congressional investigators and lawmakers were 'material' or relevant to the work of committee 'as distinguished from unimportant or trivial facts,' according to the lengthy jury instructions.

In light of this not guilty verdict, expect the critics to reiterate their complaints (made throughout the affair) that the government (and Congress, in the first place) didn't have much material need to depose Clemens or put him on trial.