What did Pete Rose do? Ban explored as late MLB player reinstated in groundbreaking judgement

Pete Rose and other deceased MLB players were removed from the permanently banned list, following a landmark decision by MLB. On Tuesday, May 13, 2025, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that the organization would stop enforcing lifetime bans on players after their death. Hence, players like Rose and Joe Jackson can now be eligible to be contenders for the Cooperstown Hall of Fame.

According to People Magazine, the decision comes after the family of Pete Rose, the MLB star who passed away in September, 2024, petitioned to have the former player removed from the permanently ineligible list.

Pete Rose, nicknamed "Charlie Hustle," was a baseball player for Major League Baseball. He received a lifetime ban in 1989 after it came out that he bet on games, though not against his own team, the Cincinnati Reds.

According to the publication, Manfred stated in an open letter to Rose's attorney that,

"In my view, a determination must be made regarding how the phrase ‘permanently ineligible’ should be interpreted in light of the purposes and policies behind Rule 21.... In my view, once an individual has passed away, the purposes of Rule 21 have been served."

He added,

"Therefore, I have concluded that permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual, and Mr. Rose will be removed from the permanently ineligible list."

Pete Rose passed away on 30 September, 2024 at the age of 83.

Why did Pete Rose receive a lifetime ban?

Pete Rose was player-manager for the Cincinnati Reds from 1984 to 1986. In 1986, he unofficially retired from the team. In 1989, Rose was embroiled in controversy after he was accused of betting on baseball games after betting slips that belonged to Rose were found in an Ohio restaurant.

According to Multiple reports, Rose initially claimed that he placed bets on football, basketball, and even horse racing, not baseball games. An investigation was conducted by lawyer John M. Dowd, and in May 1989, the Dowd Report was submitted. The report documents Rose's alleged bets on baseball games during 1985-1987, and states that there was no evidence that he bet against the Cincinnati Reds.

Though Rose sued MLB and then-commissioner Giamatti in June 1989, he agreed to a lifetime ban from baseball in August. However, he still denied betting on baseball games. In 1991, the Hall of Fame decided to bar anyone on the permanently ineligible list from being eligible for the Hall of Fame, NY Times reported.

In 2004, Rose publicly admitted in an autobiography, My Prison Without Bars, that he did bet on baseball games after all. In an interview with ABC, he again admitted that he bet on baseball games in 1987 and 1988, including his team, but never against the Reds.

In the years following the ban, Rose has appealed for reinstatement, but in 2015, Manfred denied his reinstatement appeal. In 2022, he tried again to be eligible for the Hall of Fame, but the ban remained. The next year, Rose passed away, and now, his ban has been lifted posthumously.

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