TORONTO — In what could be the final week of his major league career, Andy Pettitte will be deposed as a witness Wednesday in the ongoing civil-court battle between Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee.
The deposition will take place in the Manhattan office of Richard Emery, McNamee’s attorney, Emery confirmed. McNamee, who worked for the Yankees as a bullpen catcher and later as the assistant strength coach, is suing Clemens for defamation, alleging Clemens damaged his character in the wake of the Mitchell Report’s release in 2007.
Pettitte, approached before Thursday’s Yankees-Blue Jays game at Rogers Centre, expressed zero interest in discussing the matter.
“I told them to leave me alone,” the left-hander said. “I’ve got enough going on. I’m worried about helping this team get into the playoffs.”
According to documents filed by Emery, Pettitte already postponed the deposition from a scheduled Sept. 4 date “to accommodate Mr. Pettitte’s pitching schedule.” Pettitte made starts on Sept. 1 (against Baltimore) and Sept. 6 (against Boston), although Sept. 4 could have been a between-starts mound session for him.
Pettitte proved a critical witness in Clemens’ favor last year, when a jury acquitted the former Yankee in federal court of committing perjury and obstructing justice when he testified (during a 2008 Congressional hearing) he never used illegal PEDs. While Pettitte testified Clemens disclosed to him in 1999 or 2000 he had used human growth hormone, Pettitte conceded under cross-examination he might have misunderstood what Clemens was telling him.
Pettitte’s and Clemens’ relationship, once close, has disintegrated. They could cross paths next week in Houston, where the Yankees will conclude their regular season with a three-game series against the Astros. Clemens, now on the Astros’ payroll, will participate in the team’s ceremony honoring Mariano Rivera.
Asked if he intends to see Clemens, Pettitte responded: “If I see him, yeah, I plan on seeing him.”
Asked if he had been advised to avoid Clemens, given the ongoing litigation, Pettitte said: “I have no idea, bro. It’s nothing I care to talk to you about.”
Now 41, Pettitte is eligible for free agency and hasn’t announced a decision about his future. He has rebounded from a poor start to pitch well in the past month, and now has a 3.93 ERA in 28 starts, totaling 169 ¹/₃ innings, this season.