Pete Rose brushes off sexual misconduct questions at Phillies ceremony
Pete Rose was back with the Phillies for the first time in years
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pete Rose appeared at Citizens Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia on Sunday as part of the Phillies honoring the 1980 World Series team.
As he was talking to the media, Rose got into a tiff with a female reporter from The Philadelphia Inquirer over questions about the organization scrapping plans to honor him in 2017 because of a woman’s claim she had a sexual relationship with him when she was a minor.
"It was 55 years ago, babe," Rose said.
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Pete Rose of the Philadelphia Phillies runs the bases during a game circa early 1980s at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Rose played for the Phillies from 1979 to 1983. (Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
The woman, identified as Jane Doe in 2017, said Rose called her in 1973, when she was 14 or 15, and they began a sexual relationship in Cincinnati that lasted several years. She also alleged Rose met her in locations outside Ohio for sex. Rose’s lawyer had said the claims were unverified.
Baseball’s hit king acknowledged in 2017 that he did have a relationship with the woman, but he said it started when she was 16 and denied ever having sex with her outside Ohio.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The allegations led the Phillies to scrap the plans to put Rose in their Wall of Fame.
"I'm going to tell you one more time: I'm here for the Philly fans, I'm here for my teammates, OK," he added. "I'm here for the Philly organization, and who cares what happened 50 years ago?"
Rose came out to a large ovation from Phillies fans.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former Philadelphia Phillies player Pete Rose tips his hat to fans during an alumni day event before a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals, Aug. 7, 2022, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
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He played five years for the Phillies, recording 826 of his 4,256 with the organization. He was also a four-time All-Star with the club before left the team for the Montreal Expos.
The Phillies defended bringing Rose out for the ceremony last month. The 81-year-old was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds’ Hall of Fame in 2016 and was at Great American Ballpark for the ceremony.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"In planning the 1980 reunion, we consulted with Pete’s teammates about his inclusion," the Phillies said last month. "Everyone wants Pete to be part of the festivities since there would be no trophy in 1980 without him. In addition, the club received permission from the Commissioner’s Office to invite Pete as a member of the championship team."
Pete Rose of the Philadelphia Phillies runs to first base during the World Series against the Kansas City Royals at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, in October 1980. (Focus on Sport via Getty Images)
Rose agreed to a lifetime ban after an investigation for MLB by lawyer John Dowd found that Rose placed numerous bets on the Reds to win from 1985-1987 while playing for and managing the team.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rose has asked MLB to end his lifetime ban.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.