Pete Rose Bet On Reds Games As A Player
Pete Rose was on the defensive for years as he lied time after time that he never bet on baseball. In 2004, he finally admitted to betting on the Cincinnati Reds while he was the team’s manager, but this only came about when he had a book to sell. Rose also left out another important tidbit, that he bet on baseball while he was a player.
ESPN has uncovered documents that show that Rose placed bets while he was still a player with the Reds in 1986. That year was the final year in Pete’s 24-year career. The documents are from Rose associate Michael Bertolini and show that Rose bet on the Reds in 1986. The documents were recovered during a raid back in 1989 by the United States Postal Inspection Service in a separate mail fraud case.
John Dowd, the man who led the Rose investigation back in 1989, told ESPN that they knew these documents existed but were never able to obtain them.
“We knew that [Bertolini] recorded the bets, and that he bet himself, but we never had his records. We tried to get them. He refused to give them to us. This is the final piece of the puzzle on a New York betting operation with organized crime. And, of course, [Rose] betting while he was a player.”
As reported on earlier here at the Inquisitr, Rose has been looking to get reinstated by new Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred, but this newest revelation makes reinstatement highly unlikely. Sports Illustrated reported back in April that Manfred was going to allow Pete to participate in this year’s All-Star Game festivities in Cincinnati, but that might not happen now that it appears that Rose was less than completely truthful about his betting practices.
Rose released a statement on his Facebook page about the situation.
“Since we submitted the application earlier this year, we committed to MLB that we would not comment on specific matters relating to reinstatement. I need maintain that. To be sure, I’m eager to sit down with Mr. Manfred to address my entire history- the good and the bad- and my long personal journey since Baseball. That meeting likely will come sometime after the All Star break. Therefore at this point, it’s not appropriate to comment on any specifics.”
There has been speculation that Rose had bet while playing, so this proof may not make a difference in the minds of many of Pete’s fans, but it does raise the question of why Rose didn’t just come completely clean back in 2004. The pattern of denials and lies has hurt Rose, maybe even more than the gambling itself.
Do you believe Pete Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame? Do you think Pete will ever get there?
[Photo by Christopher Pasatieri / Getty Images]
