When Pete Rose found an unlikely ally in his campaign for MLB reinstatement in a former POTUS
MLB legend Pete Rose was a livewire in the league during his time as both a player and manager and left a mark on the league forever.
While his time in MLB was nothing short of legendary, it was marred by accusations at the back end of his career. He gambled on baseball games while he played for and managed the Cincinnati Reds. Rose was penalized for these accusations with permanent ineligibility from baseball.
The Baseball Hall of Fame further formally voted to ban those on the "permanently ineligible" list from induction.
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"Lot of 4 Pete Rose gambling checks used as evidence in Dowd Report sold for $3,200 by @goldinauctions" - Darren Rovell, Twitter
During this time, the once-tarnished MLB legend received support from an unexpected ally: former President Bill Clinton.
Clinton mentioned that Rose was too fine a player not to be in the Major League Baseball HOF, and that he’d like to see him there someday. Here's what he said during an interview with People magazine in 1999:
"I think just about everybody ought to get a second chance,″ Clinton said. "I’d like to see it worked out, because he brought a lot of joy to the game, and he gave a lot of joy to people, and he’s paid a price - God knows, he’s paid a price.″
Clinton stated that everybody deserves a second chance and he credited Rose for bringing a lot of joy to the game that so many loved in the country.
In fact, numerous MLB legends have backed Rose to get a seat in the hall of fame, all of them echoing the same point.
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"MLB legend backs Pete Rose's Hall of Fame candidacy" - FOX News, Twitter
Pete Rose’s notorious history with betting
The former Cincinnati Reds man was an ardent gambler back in the day. Rose's identity, penmanship, and fingerprints were found on betting slips that the IRS seized. It was found that he was wagering a staggering $8,000-$10,000 per day on baseball.
The "Dowd Report," a 225-page report from investigator John Dowd, was created and submitted as part of a thorough probe into the matter.
After an assessment of his gambling habits and a day-by-day summary of his 1987 wagering (which covered 52 Reds games), the league subsequently imposed a lifetime ban on August 24, 1989.