Philadelphia Phillies Scrap Plans to Honor Pete Rose
The Philadelphia Phillies canceled plans to induct baseball star Pete Rose onto their Wall of Fame next weekend amid allegations of statutory rape.
Rose was set to be honored on August 12th by the team with whom he won the 1980 World Series, but those plans were scrapped. Rose’s bobblehead promotion on August 11th was also canceled and fans were offered refunds, according to the Associated Press.
“While I am truly honored that the Phillies fans voted for me to be this year’s Wall of Fame inductee, I am concerned that other matters will overshadow the goodwill associated with Alumni Weekend, and I agree with the decision not to participate,” Rose said.
In a recent court filing, a woman identified as Jane Doe, said Rose started a sexual relationship with her in 1973 when she was 14 or 15 years old. Rose was in his early 30s at the time and was married with two children. The filing says the relationship lasted several years, and extended to states outside Ohio.
Rose acknowledged a relationship occurred, but says it started when she was 16 years old, the age of consent in Ohio.
Rose received a permanent ban from baseball in 1989 for betting on the Cincinnati Reds team that he managed. He amassed 4,256 hits in his career, but isn’t eligible for Hall of Fame induction. In 2015, Donald Trump tweeted that he thought Rose should be given a break: “Can’t believe Major League Baseball just rejected @PeteRose_14 for the Hall of Fame. He’s paid the price. So ridiculous – let him in!”
This allegation of statutory rape became public as a result of a lawsuit that Rose filed against attorney John Dowd, who said on a radio show that Rose raped teenage girls.
While Rose will not become the 39th member of the Phillies’ Wall of Fame, he is still popular on the fringes of the sport. He has a statue depicting him outside Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, and he was on the Fox broadcast team during last season’s playoffs.