Pete Rose’s Statutory Rape Allegations Cost Him Phillies' Wall Of Fame Ceremony
Pete Rose, among the most infamous figures in baseball, lost another shot at honor, this time over allegations of statutory rape in the 1970s.
The Philadelphia Phillies, a team Rose played for from 1979 to 1983, planned on honoring him before an Aug. 12 game at Citizens Bank Park. That event, however, was canceled Wednesday after the team decided to distance itself from Rose after the allegations came to light, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The accusations claim Rose maintained a sexual relationship with a girl who was under 16 years old while Rose was in his 30s.
READ: Teen Is Raped Twice In One Night After Flagging Second Man For Help
Rose was banished from Major League Baseball in 1989 for gambling on games while playing for and managing the Cincinnati Reds. The league hasn’t lifted the ban but has allowed teams to honor Rose individually if they so choose, however, he is not eligible for the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
A plaque for Rose will not be added to the Phillies' Wall of Fame as was previously planned. Additionally, the team planned on distributing bobbleheads, and that won’t happen either. The team hasn’t ruled out honoring Rose at a future date and will honor former inductees in Rose’s place at the ceremony.
Rose’s alleged sexual relationship with a young girl came to light after Rose sued John Dowd — an investigator who discovered Rose’s gambling — for defamation. Dowd accused Rose of statutory rape in an interview in 2015. Testimony from a woman identified as “Jane Doe” was submitted in federal court in Philadelphia as part of the suit last week.
“I received a phone call from Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds,” the woman testified. “Sometime after that, Pete Rose and I began meeting at a house in Cincinnati. It was at that house where, before my 16th birthday, Pete Rose began a sexual relationship with me. This sexual relationship lasted for several years. Pete Rose also met me in locations outside of Ohio where we had sex.”
Rose admitted that he had sex with the woman, but disagreed with parts of her testimony. He claims the relationship began in 1975, the year Rose turned 34. He also claimed that to the best of his knowledge that the girl was 16, which is Ohio’s age of consent.
Rose cannot be charged with statutory rape, as the Ohio statute of limitations has run out.
“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,” Rose said in a team statement Wednesday. “I agree with the decision not to participate.”
Rose is the all-time hit leader and a 17-time All-Star. He helped lead the Philliies to their first World Series title in 1980. Rose began his major league career with the Reds in 1963. He went back to the Reds as a player-coach in 1984 and stayed with the team until 1986.
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