Washington ( CNN ) -- Major league pitching legend Roger Clemens pleaded not guilty Monday to charges that he lied to Congress during a 2008 investigation into the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball . Clemens has been charged with perjury , obstruction of Congress and making false statements after telling lawmakers in February 2008 that he never used human growth hormone or steroids . U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton set an April 5 trial date for the seven-time Cy Young winner at Monday 's arraignment . The proceedings were held in the largest courtroom at the District of Columbia federal courthouse , one usually used for high-profile cases such as the trial of former White House aide Lewis `` Scooter '' Libby . Before the arraignment , Clemens ate lunch at the courthouse cafeteria with his attorneys and was approached by at least three fans . Clemens was released on his own recognizance after the hearing and was headed to a charity golf event in South Carolina . He has denied the perjury allegations and said he looks forward to defending himself in court . `` I never took HGH or Steroids . And I did not lie to Congress , '' he said in a message posted to his Twitter account August 19 , the day his indictment was released . Clemens , nicknamed `` the Rocket '' during his 24-year career , left baseball in 2007 after playing for the Boston Red Sox , Toronto Blue Jays , Houston Astros and New York Yankees . The charges stem the pitcher 's 2008 appearance before the House Oversight and Government Affairs Committee , when he vehemently denied using performance-enhancing drugs . Steroid use `` is totally incompatible with who I am and what I stand for , '' he told lawmakers , adding , `` I can not in good conscience admit to doing something that I did not do , even if it would be easier to do so . '' His testimony put him at odds with his former trainer , Brian McNamee , and a report by former Sen. George Mitchell that stated Clemens had used banned substances at points in his career . Onetime teammate Andy Pettite told a league investigation led by Mitchell that Clemens admitted using human growth hormone . A few weeks later , the committee 's leaders asked the Justice Department to launch a perjury probe of Clemens . Rep. Henry Waxman , the committee 's chairman at the time , said after Clemens ' indictment that perjury and false statements `` are serious crimes that undermine the ability of Congress to perform its duties . '' The six-count indictment accuses Clemens of trying to `` influence , obstruct , and impede '' the congressional investigation into the use of steroids . It includes three counts of making false statements to investigators about the use of human growth hormone , steroids and vitamin B12 , and two counts of perjury stemming from his appearance before Waxman 's committee . Clemens told investigators that Pettite -- who admitted to using human growth hormone on two occasions himself -- must have `` misheard '' him , and he accused McNamee of lying `` to save his own skin '' as federal authorities began probing the use of steroids in major sports . He filed a defamation suit against his ex-trainer in late 2008 . He said the shots he received from his trainer were vitamin B12 , which is an allowed substance . But according to the indictment , the trainer never had access to B12 and never injected Clemens with such supplements . CNN 's Paul Courson and Carol Cratty contributed to this report .
NEW : Clemens released on his own recognizance after not-guilty plea . The baseball great has been charged with perjury and obstruction of Congress . He insists he never used human growth hormone or steroids . `` The Rocket '' won seven Cy Young awards during his 24-year career .