Pete Rose apparently didn’t have enough of John Dowd when the Washington, D.C., lawyer’s 1989 investigation of Rose’s baseball betting earned Rose a life sentence in baseball purgatory.
His relentless requests for reinstatement rejected by two commissioners, Rose snatched onto a comment Dowd made in a radio interview and sued Dowd for defaming him. How anybody could defame Rose more than he has defamed himself, I don’t know.
But Rose’s lawsuit against Dowd has inflicted greater damage on Rose than anything Dowd has said about him. Take the latest development in the Dowd-Rose tussle as Exhibit A.
Rose was scheduled to be honored by the Philadelphia Phillies in a weekend of events Aug. 10-12. He played for the Phillies for five seasons, 1979 through ’83, playing an instrumental role in their World Series championship in 1980 and became as loved in Philadelphia as he was for his 16 years in Cincinnati.
So the Phillies planned to fete him at their Alumni Weekend this weekend, placing a Pete Rose plaque on their Wall of Fame and giving out Pete Rose bobblehead dolls. The Wall of Fame ceremony was scheduled for Aug. 12.
There will, however, be no plaque on the wall and no bobblehead dolls. Rose’s past caught up with him and prompted the Phillies to cancel Rose’s participation in the events and the celebration of an unworthy hero. Rose, who always thought he was smarter than everyone else and was quick to make fun of others, finally ran into reality.
Earlier this season Rose was honored by the Cincinnati Reds at a function similar to what the Phillies’ weekend was supposed to be. Curious about Rose’s participation in baseball events I though he had been banned from, I asked the commissioner’s office why the commissioner continues to make it possible for Rose to participate in these events and embarrass Major League Baseball. Pat Courtney, the chief communications officer, responded by referring to Rob Manfred’s 2015 decision rejecting Rose’s request for reinstatement.
“Notwithstanding this conclusion, I respect Mr. Rose’s accomplishments as a player and, as a result, I will continue to allow him to participate in ceremonial activities that present no threat to the integrity of the game, provided that the activities are approved by me in advance.”
As developments showed, even that position wasn’t safe.
As a result of Rose’s lawsuit against Dowd, a woman came forward and provided Dowd with a declaration under oath that buried Rose. His lawyer may question the woman’s veracity, but if nothing else, for the purposes of Rose’s lawsuit, the woman’s statement is as significant as a Rose walk-off double.
Rose, the unidentified woman claims in her declaration, initiated a sexual relationship with her when she was 14 or 15 years old. At the time, 1973, the age of consent in Ohio was 16, meaning Rose committed statutory rape.
After stating her name, date of birth and residence, all of which were redacted, the woman writes:
“In 1973, when I was 14 or 15 years old, I received a phone call from Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds. Sometime after that, Pete Rose and I began meeting at a house in Cincinnati. It was at that house where, before my sixteenth birthday, Pete Rose began a sexual relationship with me. This sexual relationship lasted for several years.
Pete Rose also met me in locations outside of Ohio where we had sex. I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.”
Is there any reason to doubt this woman? Might she have a grievance against Rose for which her statement is revenge? Might there be other women with similar stories from when they were teen-agers? The Phillies didn’t wait to find out. With no time to find out, they made a decision and issued a news release:
The Phillies will not distribute the Pete Rose bobblehead giveaway on Friday, August 11. On Saturday, the Phillies will pay tribute to former Wall of Fame inductees during a pre-game ceremony. The weekend’s events continue on Sunday with more than 40 alumni being recognized on-field. All fans in attendance for Sunday’s game will receive a Wall of Fame card pack.
As with most of Rose’s problems, he created this one by suing Dowd for defamation, although it doesn’t seem possible for anyone to damage Rose’s character more than Rose already has.
In a 2015 radio interview’ Dowd said that Michael Bertolini, a Rose gambling associate, told him that Rose had young girls brought to him for sex. Bertolini was one of Dowd’s best sources for information about Rose’s betting on baseball.
In response to Dowd’s assertion, Rose admitted having had sex with the girl but thought she was 16. Rose was 34 at the time and married with children.
In filing the lawsuit, Rose is seeking an unspecified amount of money for mental anguish and suffering.
With the suit in court, Dowd declined to discuss it, but a lawyer familiar with the case said Dowd and his lawyers believe the woman’s testimony would be solid. The woman, he said, came forward voluntarily, asked for nothing and was offered nothing. In addition, he said, Rose’s lawyers have had the woman’s declaration for more than a month and had done nothing with or about it, such as trying to undermine it.
The lawyer said Dowd is willing to settle the suit out of court, “but if they want to try it, he’ll try it.”
Neither the commissioner nor his office has commented on the latest Rose development. Not that any comment is called for because the matter is covered in Manfred’s 2015 statement. However, the situation seems to call for something more definitive, like “We’ve heard enough of Pete Rose’s nonsense. Neither he nor any club on his behalf should bother calling. He’s fooled us long enough. We don’t want to hear from Pete Rose or see Pete Rose. If he wants to attend a game he can buy a ticket like every other fan.”
One quarter has not been heard from, at least publicly. I called Terri Hines, executive vice president for Fox Sports Communications to find out if Fox planned to retain Rose as an analyst, but she didn’t return the call. Considering that the company has fired everybody else for sexual harassment and other such ugly practices, I can’t imagine that Rose will be welcome to stay even though he fits right in.