Pete Rose will not be reinstated by Major League Baseball

CINCINNATI (AP) — Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred rejected Pete Rose’s plea for reinstatement on Monday, citing his continued gambling and evidence that he bet on games when he was playing for the Cincinnati Reds.

The decision means the former Cincinnati Reds star will remain outside the Baseball Hall of Fame despite his legendary status.

Rose, whose previous efforts to gain leniency from MLB commissioners were never considered, had earlier this year sent a formal request to have the ban lifted by Manfred, who succeeded Bud Selig as MLB Commissioner in January.

Pete Rose’s life-time ban from baseball was upheld by Commissioner Rob Manfred today.

Commissioner Manfred informed Rose Monday, both verbally and in writing, that the application has been denied. Following Rose’s banishment in 1989, the Baseball Hall of Fame, which is governed separately from MLB, passed a rule declaring that no player who had been banned from baseball could stand for enshrinement in Cooperstown. Rose denied betting on games for 15 years until admitting his transgression in 2005.

Rose is ineligible for be included on Hall of Fame ballots, but that’s a separate matter from his reinstatement. The notebook’s existence was revealed by ESPN in June this year, suggesting Rose may have bet on baseball when he was an active player, contradicting Rose’s story, according to reporting by ESPN. 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 the sport.

In a statement about his decision Manfred wrote, “During our meeting, Mr. Rose told me that he bet extensively on Cincinnati Red games in 1987”.

“Rose’s attorneys told Manfred in February that “Rose had accepted responsibility for his mistakes and their consequences”, and that Rose was sorry for betting on baseball games, according to the ruling, and the attorneys said Rose “‘reconfigured’ his life”. This is hardly the first time Rose has applied for reinstatement.

The second report was a polygraph test taken on August 5 by a consultant retained by Rose’s representatives. However, Manfred wrote, Rose said he could not remember facts from the Dowd Report that showed he bet on baseball as a player.

But the baseball commissioner referenced Rose’s refusal to avoid “the type of conduct and associations” that led to his ban in the first place.

Reds President Bob Castellini said he he hopes that the Hall of Fame will grant enshrinement to Rose, asserting, “We and the fans think he deserves that opportunity”. The commissioner had said he would make a decision on Rose by the end of 2015. He was also an All-Star 16 times and won three batting championships, Sports Illustrated noted.