Calling steroids "dangerous and destructive," Roger Clemens adamantly denied Tuesday that drugs have boosted his rocket arm.

The seven-time Cy Young Award winner bristled at allegations from his former trainer, Brian McNamee, that he has been juicing since at least 1998.

"I want to state clearly and without qualification: I did not take steroids, human growth hormone or any other banned substances at any time in my baseball career or, in fact, my entire life," Clemens said.

The 45-year-old fireballer spoke just days after longtime Yankee teammate Andy Pettitte publicly confessed to briefly using human growth hormone to rehab an injured elbow.

"Those substances represent a dangerous and destructive shortcut that no athlete should ever take," the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Clemens said in a statement released by his agent, Randy Hendricks.

Clemens and Pettitte, who also were teammates in Houston, were among a star-studded roster of big-leaguers named in a scathing report issued last week by former Sen. George Mitchell.

McNamee, the star witness in the probe Mitchell conducted at the request of baseball commissioner Bud Selig, claimed he injected Clemens with steroids in 1998, when the hurler was with the Toronto Blue Jays.

The trainer also claimed he injected Clemens with steroids and HGH in 2000 and 2001, when the would-be Hall of Famer was the ace of the Bombers' pitching staff.

In addition to Clemens and Pettitte, the Mitchell report names home run king Barry Bonds, Yankees slugger Jason Giambi and ex-Met Paul Lo Duca.

Clemens implored fans to "not rush to judgment."

"I am disappointed that my 25 years in public life have apparently not earned me the benefit of the doubt, but I understand that Sen. Mitchell's report has raised many serious questions," Clemens said.

The Texas High School Baseball Association postponed its decision whether to rescind an invitation for Clemens to speak at its convention, saying, "We feel more information is needed."

The 11-time All-Star, rumored to be mulling a slander suit against Major League Baseball, vowed not to retreat from the controversy's clamor. "I plan to publicly answer all of those questions at the appropriate time in the appropriate way," he said.

Fallout from the Mitchell Report swept Capitol Hill yesterday. Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) proposed to crack down on doping in all sports by making it a felony to use or distribute banned substances without a prescription.

Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.), the only Hall of Fame ballplayer in Congress, accused his colleagues of "grandstanding."

"Where in the heck was Chuck Schumer and Chuck Grassley 15 years ago?" asked Bunning, referring to the time when steroid use in the big leagues first exploded.

Several congressional hearings have been scheduled on the Mitchell Report.

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With Michael O'Keeffe and Anthony McCarron