Major League Baseball is reportedly mulling a move to posthumously reinstate controversial former player Pete Rose.
Rose, a three-time World Series winner, passed away at the age of 83 in September without ever fulfilling his wish to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
While he is considered one of the greatest players in history, the legend was slapped with a lifetime ban for betting on the Cincinnati Reds as both a player and manager of the team in 1989.
The lifetime ban, which landed him on the ineligible list, prevented him from induction into the Hall of Fame, something which President Donald Trump took aim at MLB for Friday night.
Less than 24 hours after the President’s bizarre attack on MLB, it has been revealed that Commissioner Rob Manfred is considering a petition filed on January 8 by Rose’s family to have the all-time hit king removed from the ineligible list, according to ESPN.
The reinstatement petition was filed after Fawn Rose, the oldest daughter of the baseball icon, and Jeffrey Lenkov, a lawyer who represented Rose before his death, reportedly met with Manfred in December.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred is reportedly considering reinstating Pete Rose posthumously
President Donald Trump announced Friday night that he would posthumously pardon Rose
‘The commissioner was respectful, gracious, and actively participated in productive discussions regarding removing Rose from the ineligible list,’ Lenkov told ESPN.
Following the one-hour meeting in the commissioner’s office, Manfred is said to now be reviewing the petition.
The petition seeks to remove Rose from the MLB’s banned list in order to pursue posthumous induction in the Hall of Fame, which ‘had long been his desire and is now being sought posthumously by his family,’ Lenkov added.
Lenkov’s comments come a day after Trump ripped into ‘lazy’ baseball in a Truth Social rant that claimed that he would pardon Rose.
‘Major League Baseball didn’t have the courage or decency to put the late, great, Pete Rose, also known as “Charlie Hustle,” into the Baseball Hall of fame,’ Trump posted to Truth Social Friday night, hours after his White House spat with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
‘Now he is dead, will never experience the thrill of being selected, even though he was a FAR BETTER PLAYER than most of those who made it, and can only be named posthumously. WHAT A SHAME!
‘Anyway, over the next few weeks I will be signing a complete PARDON of Pete Rose, who shouldn’t have been gambling on baseball, but only bet on HIS TEAM WINNING. He never betted against himself, or the other team.
‘He had the most hits, by far, in baseball history, and won more games than anyone in sports history. Baseball, which is dying all over the place, should get off its fat, lazy a**, and elect Pete Rose, even though far too late, into the Baseball Hall of Fame!’
Rose, a three-time World Series winner, passed away at the age of 83 in September
The President hit out at Major League Baseball over Rose’s lifetime ban from the sport
It is unclear what charges Trump intends to pardon Rose for as the former player’s punishment of a lifetime ban was handed down by MLB. Presidents have the power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States.
Trump previously petitioned for MLB to induct Rose into the Hall of Fame back in October in the days after the hit king’s death.
In 1989, Rose was banned from baseball by then-MLB commissioner Bart Giamatti after the league determined he’d bet on the sport.
He admitted to gambling on the Cincinnati Reds when he played for, and managed, the team from 1985 until 1987.
Rose and former commissioner Giamatti agreed to the lifetime ban in August 1989 after the investigation by lawyer John Dowd found that he placed numerous bets on the Reds, violating one of the oldest rules in baseball.
While he is not accused of betting against the Reds, Rose’s gambling presented a number of problems for MLB, which felt the sanctity of the game was threatened.
For instance, Rose could have held back the team’s best relief pitchers when he didn’t have money on the line, while pushing them t pitch when he was betting on the Reds.
The all-time hit king’s ban prevented him from induction into the Hall of Fame
Just a few weeks before his passing, Rose admitted he was still hoping for forgiveness.
‘There’s nothing I can change about the history of Pete Rose,’ he told Texas television station KLTV in an interview published on September 7.
‘I keep convincing myself or telling myself, “Hang in there, Pete, you’ll get a second chance.”‘
‘This is the one country that gives you a second chance,’ Rose added. ‘I continue to hope that someday I’ll get a second chance, and I won’t need a third.’
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