Clemen's using steroids? Who cares!

Professional baseball player Roger Clemens has been fighting a public relations battle for some time now regarding his alleged illegal use of steroids.  His personal trainer, Brian McNamee, claims to have injected Clemens with steroids, and to have kept some syringes to prove it.  Clearly, on top of the 'Mitchell Report' situation, Clemen's career and reputation is on the line.  In an attempt to clear his name and avoid being this generation's Pete Rose, Clemen's has been pulling classic crisis management tactics.  He not only provided a personal interview for '60 Minutes' with Mike Wallace, but he has most recently approached the members of Congress to fight for the "truth".  

According to politico.com, 'Clemen's personal lobbying effort is described as "...highly unusual, almost unprecedented..."'.  The fact that Clemens is a figure outside of politics, arguing his case against McNamee in front of Congress, is shocking but considered a good, aggressive, PR move.  It shows the public, most of whom have already pinned him as guilty, that he will go to great lengths to prove himself and stay true to his former 'hall-of-famer' image.  

I am unsure how I feel about this whole situation.  The steroids issue in general drives me crazy because I feel that it is so insignificant to the more serious problems in the world.  The fact that entertainment and sports are taking over our news, conversation, and now government, is sad.  Of course we need rules and regulations, but this debate has gone on long enough.

From a crisis PR perspective however, I believe that Clemens and his advisers are doing a good job at enacting effective PR tactics.  I don't think we will ever know the real truth about his steroid use, but all that matters is if he is able to sway the public's opinion in his favor.  If he continues his aggressive strategies, including remaining in the public eye, fighting for his reputation, and allowing the public and media into his life, it might just pay off.