One day after Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred denied Pete Rose‘s request for reinstatement, the sport’s all-time hits leader held a press conference Tuesday to discuss what happened.
The tone of the press conference was unusual, with Rose and his attorney seemingly trying to make a plea for the Baseball Writers’ Association of America to get him on the Hall of Fame ballot, per ESPN.com’s Buster Olney.
It’s important to note that Rose’s being banned from MLB doesn’t make him ineligible for the Hall of Fame. That is a separate entity, and writers voted in 1991 to keep his name off the ballot.
Rose said early in the proceedings that he should hold the office currently occupied by Manfred, per Will Brinson of CBSSports.com:
Per Paul Hagen of MLB.com, Manfred released a statement that went into detail about where Rose failed to meet the necessary requirements for reinstatement:
Mr. Rose has not presented credible evidence of a reconfigured life either by an honest acceptance by him of his wrongdoing, so clearly established by the Dowd Report, or by a rigorous, self-aware and sustained program of avoidance by him of the circumstances that led to his permanent eligibility in 1989. Absent such credible evidence, allowing him to work in the game presents an unacceptable risk of a future violation by him of Rule 21, and thus to the integrity of our sport.
Rose briefly elaborated on what his meeting with the commissioner was like, per Joe Danneman of Fox 19 in Cincinnati:
Rose added he was as truthful as he could be, via MLB Network Radio:
Rose, who held his press conference in Las Vegas, said he’s now a “recreational gambler, but not a compulsive gambler,” per USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale.
On the subject of performance-enhancing drugs, while Rose said he never saw any teammates taking any substances, he expressed confidence about the abilities of his Reds teams from the mid-’70s, per Nightengale:
Wrapping up his media session, per the Cincinnati Enquirer’s official sports Twitter account, Rose said what he hoped would happen one day:
It’s an unusual comment since MLB has invited Rose to take part in several on-field celebrations, including last summer during All-Star festivities in Cincinnati, but the 74-year-old clearly hopes for greater inclusion.
Unfortunately for Rose, it doesn’t seem like his 26-year ban from the sport is going to end anytime soon. He presented his case to Manfred, who has been in office less than one year, and it was rejected for reasons outlined by the commissioner.
Even though there is a large swath of the MLB fanbase that wants Rose to at least have a shot at the Baseball Hall of Fame, his odds continue to look long.
MLB has given Rose a small platform to get his adoration from those fans, and that seems to be as far as the doors will ever open.
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