Clemens asked to testify at U.S. steroids hearings

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Baseball pitching great Roger Clemens, who denies claims he used steroids, was asked on Friday to testify before a U.S. congressional panel investigating use of performance-enhancing drugs.

There was no immediate word whether the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee would subpoena Clemens if he refused to appear voluntarily on January 16.

The committee also invited Brian McNamee, his ex-trainer, who told investigators for a probe led by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell that he injected Clemens with steroids and a human growth hormone.

Clemens told CBS's "60 Minutes," in an interview to be aired on Sunday, that he was injected with the painkiller lidocaine and the vitamin B-12 during his 24 year playing career but not steroids.

Clemens, 45, concluded his career last season with the New York Yankees.

In addition to Clemens and McNamee, the committee asked three others implicated in the Mitchell report, released last month, to testify. They include Andy Pettitte, a former Clemens' teammate; Chuck Knoblauch, a retired player, and former New York Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski.

Mitchell is scheduled to speak to the panel on January 15, the day before Clemens, along with Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, who requested the Mitchell investigation, and Donald Fehr, president of the players' association.

(Reporting by Thomas Ferraro, editing by Jackie Frank)