How Pete Rose Got Banned From Major League Baseball
Pete Rose was a living legend. A fan favorite, Rose played Major League Baseball for 23 years, most notably for the Cincinnati Reds®. His aggressive playing style defined the team and helped secure his status as a baseball legend. By the end of his career in 1986, Rose was the all-time MLB® leader in hits, games played, at-bats, singles, and outs. So why did Pete Rose leave the sport in disgrace after such a storied career?
Suspected Betting on Games
Early in 1989, Commissioner Peter Ueberroth met with Rose and other league officials about Rose's gambling habits. Rose's gambling was no secret, but Ueberroth suspected he was betting on games. According to Major League Rule 21, "Any player, umpire or club or league official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform, shall be declared permanently ineligible."
That April, the IRS seized betting slips with Rose's name, handwriting, and fingerprints. Then came reports that Rose was placing bets ranging from $8,000 to $10,000 daily on baseball games.
The Dowd Report
In May, MLB kicked off a comprehensive investigation, and on May 9, Bart Giamatti, the newly appointed Commissioner, received the "Dowd Report" from investigator and attorney John Dowd. The Dowd Report was a 225-page document detailing Rose's extensive gambling activities, including a day-to-day chronicle of his bets during the 1987 season. That season's records showed wagers on 52 Reds games.
Two Bans
Rose did not admit his guilt, but when the league handed down a lifetime ban, he and Giamatti signed the agreement placing the ban into effect in August. Under the terms he accepted, Rose retained the right to appeal the lifetime ban after one year. At that time, his hope was clearly to persuade the commissioner to overturn the ban. Meanwhile, Rose's legal problems were not over. In 1990, Rose was charged with falsifying tax returns, and he served five months in prison. The next year, the Baseball Hall of Fame board decided players on the permanently ineligible list also may not appear on the Hall ballot. Despite his longevity in the league, and the records he held, Rose could never become eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame. The board's vote was unanimous.
Rose applied for reinstatement to the league in 1997, a bid Commissioner Rob Manfred rejected in 2015. Rose also appealed to the Hall of Fame to change its rule in 2016, but to no avail.
'Rule One in Baseball'
Rose did receive one reprieve in 1999, upon his appointment to All-Century Team, and the league included him in the festivities as part of the World Series® that year. As far as reinstatement in the league or regaining eligibility for the Hall of Fame, neither Rose nor his supporters have been given hope for either.
"Pete Rose violated what is sort of rule one in baseball, and the consequences of that are clear in the rule, and we've continued to abide by our own rules," Manfred said in 2023, according to the Associated Press. "It's just the rules are different for players. It's part of the responsibility that comes with the privilege of being a major league player."
References: All You Need to Know about the Origin of Pete Rose's 25-Year MLB Banishment | Manfred Has No Intention of Altering Pete Rose's Lifetime Ban from Baseball | Pete Rose | MLB Announces Sports Betting Suspensions for 5 Players
