The Rocket has finally grounded his seven-year legal battle over steroids.
After vowing to go to trial, Roger Clemens settled a bitter defamation case with former strength trainer Brian McNamee on Wednesday in Brooklyn federal court.
McNamee sued Clemens for claiming the trainer had lied about injecting him with steroids during his playing career.
The 2009 lawsuit alleged the former Yankees pitcher pursued a “public relations offensive” against McNamee after he told investigators and members of Congress he personally injected Clemens with steroids from 1998 through 2001.
The case quoted Clemens as claiming in a YouTube video McNamee “did not inject steroids into my body either when I played in Toronto for the Blue Jays or the New York Yankees.”
Clemens — who never has admitted taking steroids — had insisted he would see the case against McNamee through until the bitter end and that a trial was all but assured.
But lawyers for Clemens eventually agreed to settle the case that has dogged the former hurler for years.
An attorney for Clemens, Chip Babcock, stressed the payout would be handled by the pitcher’s insurance company and no money would come out of his client’s pocket.
Through his sister, Janet Johnson, Clemens offered this comment to The Post via text: “I was not present, nor would have I participated in paying one dime. Everyone knows my stance on the subject.”
McNamee declined to comment on the case as he left court.
The sum of the settlement was not disclosed.
— Additional reporting by Kevin Kernan