After New York Yankee’s pitcher Roger Clemens’s trainer accused him of steroid abuse in a Congressional report, the story spread faster than a west Texas wildfire. News markets ran the story either front page or as the lead story on its evening news programs. Clemens’s has denied, publicly, that he ever abused steroids or any other performance enhancing drugs.

The report, compiled by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, named Clemens and several other New York Yankees. Teammate Andy Pettitt admitted he has used HGH, a performance-enhancing steroid, after an arm injury. During the 2007 baseball season, San Francisco Giant slugger Barry Bonds was accused of using steroids. The allegations have tainted his homerun record. Clemens, who up until now was shoo-in for the Baseball Hall of Fame, denied in a 60 Minutes interview late last year that he used any performance-enhancing drugs.

Students and faculty here aren’t sure if they believe the seven-time Cy Young winner or not.

“It needs to be proven before it’s judged,” English teacher Mrs. Ruth Garrett said. “I feel sorry for him. I would like to believe he is innocent, but I don’t know.”

Sophomore Tricia Gint said she hopes Clemens’s is not guilty because it (the abuse) sets a bad example for student athletes. Steroid abuse came to the forefront on the news when high school athletes began using the drugs to enhance their chances of gaining a college scholarship to a major university. The effects have been well publicized and but some athletes refuse to believe the drugs will cause long-term damage.

“It is a real problem seeing that they (young athletes) are watching their role models using them,” she said.

Baseball head-coach Ross Taylor said steroids have been around professional sports for many years, but it was only in recent years that the subject received media attention.

“We have become more aware of the long-term affects of steroids in the last few years,” baseball head-coach Ross Taylor said. “The use of steroids has been present in just about every professional sport for years.”

Taylor said some athletes were prescribed the drugs by their physicians.

“(The athletes) thought it would boost their careers,” Taylor said.

Assistant-principal Joel Blalock said he hopes Clemens is innocent, but he is not without doubt.

“I am 70 percent sure that he was on steroids,” Blalock said.