Trump to Pardon Pete Rose as MLB Considers Reinstatement

Estranged Major League Baseball legend Pete Rose is back in the headlines—this time for positive reasons, unlike the gambling issues that stained his legacy.  

President Donald Trump said on Saturday he plans to pardon Rose, who recorded more hits than any player in MLB history, “in the coming weeks.” Meanwhile, the league itself is considering a petition to add Rose back to its official records after he was removed for his role in the gambling scandal. 

Rose was blacklisted by the MLB in 1989 following a settlement he reached with then-commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti.  

Why was Pete Rose banned from MLB?

Rose, who spent most of his career with the Cincinnati Reds, is the only former player who mutually agreed to be placed on the banned list. He later spent years campaigning to be welcomed back into the league’s record books and history.

Per the terms of Rose’s agreement with the league, the MLB did not provide a formal statement on his guilt or innocence related to the illegal sports betting allegations levied against him. He was also allowed to apply annually for reinstatement, which he never received.

Rose ultimately pleaded guilty in 1990 to two counts of failing false tax returns and hiding his gambling activities, which landed him five months in prison.

“Charlie Hustle,” as he was known, admitted in 2004 in his autobiography “My Prison Without Bars” that he had gambled on MLB games. He insisted that he only ever bet on himself and his team to win their games.

He said he used gambling as a way to “recapture the high I got from winning batting titles and World Series.” 

It’s unclear what sparked Trump’s interest in the matter, although it’s a longstanding interest of his. 

“GET PETE ROSE INTO THE BASEBALL HALL OF FAME,” Trump said on X (then Twitter) in 2020. “It’s Time!”

Is reinstatement coming?

ESPN reported that Jeffrey Lenkov, a California attorney who represented Rose until his death at 83 last September, filed a reinstatement petition on Jan. 8. 

That came on the heels of a meeting between Lenkov and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, MLB executive Pat Courtney, and Rose’s daughter, Fawn, on Dec. 17.

“The commissioner was respectful, gracious, and actively participated in productive discussions regarding removing Rose from the ineligible list,” Lenkov said after their meeting.

If Rose is granted reinstatement, he will become eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame. His impressive resume—which includes an all-time record 4,256 hits, 160 home runs, 1,314 RBIs, a .303 batting average, 17 All-Star appearances, three World Series triumphs, an MVP, a World Series MVP, two Gold Gloves, and a Silver Slugger—would surely help see him over the line.

Sports betting has become much more normalized than it was back in Rose’s playing days. It is legal in 39 states and Washington D.C., although the MLB maintains its rule that players may not bet on the MLB in any form.