Texas Monthly 2009 Bumsteer of the Year

Yikes. Does anybody remember Clemens was only investigated? That he was only investigated and so far we haven't heard any concrete proof that he took performance-enhancing drugs? Nope. Wanna know why? Because no one on his legal defense team ever bothered to take into account the big picture- the court of public opinion.

Meanwhile not only has Texas Monthly chosen Clemens as their poster boy for bad behavior, the New York Daily News named him their Anti-Sportsman of the year, the Memorial Herman Medical Center announced last Thursday they were removing Roger Clemens' name from the Roger Clemens Institute for Sports Medicine. The same Clemens who donated $3 million to the hospital's pediatric wing at the hospital. And let's not forget the restaurant franchise Clemens had planned to debut at the Houston Galleria bearing his name and infamous #22. Kaput- not even going to break ground now.

Somehow it was mistakenly assumed that Roger's stellar reputation would protect him through the investigation and no attention needed to be paid to his message to the public. The result? Read the excerpt below about why Texas Monthly chose Roger as their "Bum Steer" award winner for 2008.

Nothing compared with the enhanced performance turned in by our Bum Steer of the Year: Roger Clemens. Here’s the dope: Not long ago, the former Longhorns and Astros star was a legitimate candidate for best pitcher in the history of the universe. Then Major League Baseball’s Mitchell Report identified him as a steroid user. Batter up!

Huffing and puffing, Clemens traveled to Washington, where members of Congress found his protestations so unpersuasive they asked the FBI to investigate him for perjury. Strike one!

Faced with damning testimony from Yankee southpaw Andy Pettitte, Clemens first discredited his longtime friend and then implied that the drugs had been for his wife. Strike two! And just when it seemed that things couldn’t get any worse, the New York Daily News reported that Clemens had carried on a long-term affair with singer Mindy McCready that had started when she was fifteen years old. Yer outta here! And you’re our Bum Steer—make that Bum Steeroid—of the Year.

Learn from this unbeatable superstar- reputation is a critical asset to be protected AT ALL COSTS during litigation- and in the thick of battle attorneys need an outside perspective about what the public is saying about your client.