Pete Rose was banned from baseball in 1989 on charges that he had bet on games while managing the Cincinnati Reds. Now, new documents obtained by Outside the Lines seem to prove that Rose bet extensively on baseball while he was with the Reds himself as a player.
ESPN reports that the documents containing evidence of Rose's betting history belonged to Rose's former associate, Michael Bertolini, and have remained sealed under court order for the past 26 years. The records show no evidence that Rose bet against his team but do offer compelling evidence that supports accusations that he bet with mob-connected bookies.
"Bertolini nails down the connection to organized crime on Long Island and New York. And that is a very powerful problem," John Dowd, the former federal prosecutor who led the MLB's investigation, told ESPN. "[The] boys in New York are about breaking arms and knees."
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Rose, now 73, had petitioned MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred in March, asking for his ban to be lifted. Rose leads baseball for hits, having earned 4,256, but is not in the Hall of Fame — and without the ban being lifted, he never will be.
"This does it. This closes the door," Dowd said.
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