The New York Daily News’ Roger Rubin reports a TV spot that showed Roger Clemens advising the St. John’s baseball squad to stay-the-heck-away from PED’s has gone unaired on the insistence of The Rocket’s representatives.
The News spoke with three people who were in the room when Clemens privately addressed the team before giving the keynote address at the baseball program’s Bullpen Club fund-raiser at the New York Athletic Club on Jan.31. Two of them – former players – remembered Clemens’ discussion on the subject and the star pitcher saying, “You don’t need to mess with that.”
According to Sam Albano – executive producer of “Inside the Big East,” a weekly program that airs in Big East markets, including MSG Network in New York – footage from Clemens’ talk with the players was not used at the request of Jim Murray, one of Clemens’ agents with Hendricks Sports Management.
“St.John’s University gave us permission to shoot what Clemens said to the team,” Albano said. “Murray didn’t want it used. We agreed and it was never shown on television.”
Clemens’ agent, Randy Hendricks, said in an e-mail last night that his understanding was that Clemens discussed a wide range of topics with the players – “including being a good teammate, working at studies, etc.” – and that his agency’s request that it not be aired should not be portrayed as being based on anything Clemens said.
“Roger delivered what was supposed to have been a private talk to the players at an awards banquet,” Hendricks said in the e-mail. “There was no agreement (with us) that what he said would be taped and rebroadcast.”