Former professional baseball player and manager Pete Rose, 81, on Sunday dismissed a question from a reporter about alleged sexual misconduct.
Rose, Major League Baseball’s all-time hits leader, was accused in 2017 of having a sexual relationship with a minor during the 1970s.
“I asked Pete Rose what he would say to people who say his presence here sends a negative message to women,” Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Alex Coffey tweeted on Sunday.
“No, I’m not here to talk about that,” Rose reportedly responded. “Sorry about that. It was 55 years ago babe.”
I asked Pete Rose what he would say to people who say his presence here sends a negative message to women. His response: “No, I’m not here to talk about that. Sorry about that. It was 55 years ago babe.”
— Alex Coffey (@byalexcoffey) August 7, 2022
In 2017, an accuser dubbed Jane Doe said Rose reached out to her 1973 when she was 14 or 15 years old, Outkick reported. The pair, she claims, had sexual encounters for several years. At the time, Rose was married with children and in his 30s.
Court documents show that Rose admitted to having sex with the female, but claims he did so in 1975 when she was 16 years old, CNN noted. The age of consent in Ohio is 16.
“Who cares what happened 50 years ago?” Rose said, after another reporter pressed about the allegation. “You weren’t even born. So you shouldn’t be talking about it, because you weren’t born. If you don’t know a damn thing about it, don’t talk about it.”
Rose, who earned the nickname “Charlie Hustle,” received a lifetime ban from Major League Baseball in 1989 for betting on games while managing the Cincinnati Reds. He was denied reinstatement in 2015 and 2017 by the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
“After extensive discussion, a vote was taken in which the Board ratified the resolution that was passed on February 4, 1991, known today as Rule 3(E) in the BBWAA’s election rules,” the Hall of Fame said in 2017. “As such, anyone deemed permanently ineligible by Major League Baseball, including Pete Rose, may not be considered for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame.”
Rose played for 24 seasons in the MLB with the Reds, Phillies, and Montreal Expos. He was a 17-time All-Star, three-time World Series champion, three-time batting champion, and a National League MVP, Bleacher Report noted.
The famed hitter, who played for the Phillies from 1979 to 1983, was invited to Citizens Bank Park on Sunday for a ceremony commemorating the 1980 championship Phillies team, Outkick said.
Rose received a standing ovation from the crowd.
Pete Rose was introduced at Citizens Bank Park before Phillies-Nationals. | @Toyota pic.twitter.com/2Mc9JNieUD
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) August 7, 2022
During the game, Rose riled up social media with his colorful commentary, Outkick noted.
“Pete Rose gets in the booth today and horrifies the Phillies announcers by talking about c***s and s*** because, well, he’s Pete f***ing Rose, man,” one sports Twitter account captioned some of Rose’s remarks.
Pete Rose gets in the booth today and horrifies the Phillies announcers by talking about cocks and shit because, well, he’s Pete fucking Rose, man. pic.twitter.com/kVifF4yOob
— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) August 7, 2022