ESPN says it obtained notebook documenting Rose 1986 bets
ESPN says it obtained a notebook shows Pete Rose bet on Cincinnati Reds games during his last season as an active player in 1986. The career hits leader agreed to a lifetime ban from baseball in 1989 after an investigation by John Dowd, a lawyer retained by Major League Baseball, concluded he bet on the Reds to win from 1985-87, during his time as a player and manager.
Pete Rose always maintained he never bet on baseball while as an active player.
BRISTOL, Conn. – ESPN said it obtained a notebook that shows Pete Rose bet on Cincinnati Reds games during his last season as an active player in 1986.
The career hits leader agreed to a lifetime ban from baseball in 1989 after an investigation by John Dowd, a lawyer retained by Major League Baseball, concluded he bet on the Reds to win from 1985-87 while he was a player and manager.
Rose repeatedly denied the allegations before admitting in a 2004 autobiography he bet on Cincinnati to win while he managed the team. Rose became player-manager in 1984 and managed the team until the suspension in August 1989.
ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” said it obtained a notebook seized by U.S. Postal Inspection Service in October 1989 from Rose associate Michael Bertolini, which reflect betting records from March to July 1986. The documents are under seal and stored in the National Archives’ New York office, ESPN said.
Rose applied for reinstatement to baseball in September 1997 and met in November 2002 with Commissioner Bud Selig, who never ruled on the application. Rose applied again after Selig was succeeded by Rob Manfred in January.
Rose is ineligible for the Hall of Fame as long as he is on the permanently suspended list.
Rose always maintained he never bet on game while a player in the league. In 2004, Rose admitted he placed bets on Major League Baseball games but only when he was a manager.
The story on ESPN’s website states the authenticity of the notebook was verified by two people who took part in the raid, which was part of a mail fraud investigation and unrelated to gambling. For 26 years, the notebook remained under court-ordered seal and is currently stored in the National Archives’ New York office, where officials declined requests to release it publicly.
ESPN said Rose issued a statement, through his lawyer, Raymond Genco: “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 to maintain that. To be sure, I’m eager to sit down with [MLB commissioner Rob] 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.” Bertolini’s lawyer, Nicholas De Feis, said his client is “not interested in speaking to anyone about these issues.”