On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced he would present former baseball pitcher Roger Clemens with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor granted by the president.
Clemens, a friend of Trump’s who has golfed with him, is regarded as one of the greatest pitchers in Major League Baseball history. However, sportswriters have not elected him into the Hall of Fame due to his suspected use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Trump made the announcement during a political rally in Texas, where Clemens, a Texas baseball figure, had introduced him. Trump questioned Clemens’s exclusion from the Hall of Fame and said he would compensate by offering him the medal.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom has no formal nomination process or fixed ceremony, and the president has broad discretion to award it. Clemens, who runs a charitable foundation, is renowned for his pitching achievements, including seven Cy Young Awards.
Despite his accolades, Clemens faced legal challenges related to suspected drug use. A federal grand jury indicted him on charges of perjury, false statements, and obstruction of Congress stemming from his 2008 testimony before a congressional committee investigating performance-enhancing drugs in baseball. After a mistrial and a second trial, a jury acquitted him on all charges.
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