Manfred considering petition to
have Rose posthumously removed from ineligible list, AP source says
[March 03, 2025]
By JAY COHEN
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred is considering a petition to have
Pete Rose posthumously removed from Major League Baseball's
ineligible list, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The person spoke to the AP on Saturday night on condition of
anonymity because of the sensitivity of the conversations.
ESPN was the first to report on the reinstatement petition filed by
Jeffrey Lenkov, a Southern California lawyer who represented Rose
prior to his death at age 83 in September.
Lenkov attended a Dec. 17 meeting with Rose’s daughter, Fawn,
Manfred and MLB executive Pat Courtney in the commissioner’s office.
The petition was filed Jan. 8.
A message was left by the AP on Saturday night seeking comment from
Lenkov.
A 17-time All-Star, Rose is baseball’s career leader with 4,256
hits. He also holds the major league record for games played (3,562)
and plate appearances (15,890). He was the 1973 National League MVP
and played on three World Series winners.
An investigation for MLB by lawyer John M. Dowd found Rose placed
numerous bets on the Cincinnati Reds to win from 1985-87 while
playing for and managing the team. Rose agreed with MLB on a
permanent ban in 1989.
Lenkov told ESPN he is seeking Rose’s removal from the banned list
“so that we could seek induction into the National Baseball Hall of
Fame, which had long been his desire and is now being sought
posthumously by his family.” He described Manfred as respectful,
gracious and an active participant during their one-hour meeting in
December.
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Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds watches as Pirates' first baseman
John Milner catches his third inning pop-up, Aug. 14, 1978 in
Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/J. Walter Green, File)
Under a rule adopted by the Hall’s board of
directors in 1991, anyone on the permanently ineligible list can’t
be considered for election to the Hall.
Rose applied for reinstatement in 1997 and met with Commissioner Bud
Selig in November 2002, but Selig never ruled on Rose’s request.
Manfred in 2015 denied Rose’s application for reinstatement.
President Donald Trump posted on social media on Friday night that
he plans to issue “a complete PARDON of Pete Rose.” Trump posted on
Truth Social that Rose “shouldn’t have been gambling on baseball,
but only bet on HIS TEAM WINNING.”
Trump did not specifically mention Rose’s tax case in which Rose
pleaded guilty in 1990 to two counts of filing false tax returns and
served a five-month prison sentence.
The president said he would sign a pardon for Rose “over the next
few weeks.”
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