Pete Rose’s daughter grateful to find “closure” after MLB rule change
Not only Pete Rose's daughter, Fawn Rose, but many MLB fans found their "closure" on Tuesday when MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced that the 17-time All-Star and other deceased players will be removed from the permanently ineligible list for the Hall of Fame.
Following the death of Rose on Sept. 30 at 83, Fawn and attorney Jeffrey Lenkov have tried to make the case for the MLB's all-time hits leader's Hall of Fame eligibility.
After Tuesday's announcement from the Commissioner's office, Fawn and her family, including brother Pete Jr. and younger sister Cara, got the required closure in their pursuit of Rose's eligibility.
“The emotion just kind of came over me,” Fawn said (via The Athletic). “I didn’t think the commissioner’s decision was going to affect me as much as it did.”
“I wish our dad was here to share this with our family and with all the fans,” Fawn said. “For us, it was more about, let’s get some closure. Let’s go one way or another. Then we can put this piece to bed.”
Fawn also credited Lenkov for fulfilling the promise he had made to his father.
“He didn’t let it go,” Fawn said. “My understanding is that he made a commitment to my dad that he would see it through. And he absolutely saw it through.”
Why was Pete Rose on the ineligible list for Hall of Fame induction?
Pete Rose is probably the greatest hitter of all time. He's MLB’s all-time hit leader (4,256 hits) and has a Hall of Fame resume. There's no doubt he should be in the Hall of Fame, but he broke the most sacred rule of baseball, i.e., betting.
An investigation led by John Dowd (called the Dowd Report, released in 1989) found substantial evidence that Rose had bet on MLB games daily. It was in violation of MLB's Rule 21(d), which explicitly states that betting on baseball results in permanent ineligibility, especially if the bets involve a person’s own team.
MLB put Rose on the ineligible list due to his involvement in gambling, including games involving his own team, the Cincinnati Reds, while he was a manager. Because of the lifetime ban, he was ineligible for induction into the Hall of Fame.
Since then, Pete Rose applied for reinstatement several times, but his request was denied. On Tuesday, though, it was finally accepted.