Why Pete Rose was denied entry into the Hall of Fame (again)

Why Pete Rose was denied entry into the Hall of Fame (again)

With the Cincinnati Reds getting ready to dedicate a statue to Pete Rose this coming weekend, the Hall of Fame has reiterated that it will not induct players who are banned.

The Hall of Fame’s board of directors decided in December to uphold the rule that prevents anyone “deemed permanently ineligible by Major League Baseball, including Pete Rose,” from being considered for Cooperstown in response to Rose’s plea to have the ban lifted.

This decision was kept under wraps until now, following a Los Angeles Times investigation on Rose’s request from September of last year.

Rob Manfred accepted Rose’s request for reinstatement in February 2015, his second month on the job as commissioner. Rose’s baseball wagering in 1989 resulted in his permanent ban. A banned individual was not permitted to run for office, according to a 1991 Hall of Fame decision.

The request was turned down by Manfred in December 2015. But Manfred stated in his five-page decision that the only thing that worried him was whether there was any evidence to suggest that lifting the suspension would compromise the integrity of the competition.

“Mr. Rose’s eligibility as a candidate for election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame is not within my purview or responsibility at this time,” Manfred wrote. “To be honest, in my opinion, there are different factors that should be taken into account when deciding whether or not someone should be eligible to enter the Hall of Fame.”