Why was Pete Rose banned by the MLB? The scandal explained

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced a landmark decision on Tuesday, opting to remove a number of legendary players of the league’s permanently ineligible list.

Pete Rose, the MLB’s all-time hit leader, was the most prominent of the list, which also included ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson. The decision relates to bans that the players received due to links to gambling scandals. Both players were hit with lifetime bans as a result.

On Tuesday Manfred announced that he was altering the league’s policy on permanent ineligibility, changing the rules to ensure that bans expire at the death of the player. As a result of the ruling a total of 17 players have had their permanent ineligibility status revoked, including all eight banned members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox team, known as the ‘Black Sox‘.

“Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game,” Manfred wrote in explanation. “Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve.”

“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.”

Rose was a 17-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion during his playing career but that success was tarnished by the infamous betting scandal.

In 1989, while manager of the Cincinnati Reds, Rose was first questioned about accusations that he had bet on baseball game. He insisted that he had placed bets on other sports but never on baseball. Soon after, however, Sports Illustrated published a detailed report that claimed otherwise and investigations into Rose’s activities were intensified.

Lawyer John M. Dowd was enlisted to investigate and his ‘Dowd Report’ made explosive reading. It alleged that he had placed 52 bets on games involving the Reds in 1987 alone, typically wagering a minimum of $10,000 a day. He denied the accusations but accepted a permanent place on baseball’s ineligible list in August 1989, accepting that there was some basis for the ban.

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