Because of recent allegations of a sexual relationship with an underage female 40 years ago, Pete Rose is reportedly being removed from postseason coverage by Fox.
Two of the biggest villains in MLB history, Alex Rodriguez and Pete Rose, made for an interesting pair during last season’s postseason coverage on Fox Sports. A-Rod was smooth as glass, always looking dapper in a fine suit, with the eloquence of a consummate professional. Rose was . . .not that smooth. He’s always been a little rough around the edges, like he just snuck his way into a country club wearing a $100 suit and a splash of Aqua Velva.
Despite their differences, they were interesting to watch, along with another former player, Frank Thomas, and host Kevin Burkhardt. Thomas is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Rose would be there too, if not for his transgressions, and A-Rod won’t be on the ballot for another four years.
Well, it was fun while it lasted. Rose is unlikely to be back on Fox this fall, according to the Hollywood Reporter. In this case, it has nothing to do with him betting on baseball during his playing and managing career. Betting on games is what has kept him out of baseball and the Hall of Fame for 25 years, but allegations of a sexual relationship with an underage girl in the 1970s has banished him from the airwaves.
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Last summer, Rose filed a lawsuit against John Dowd, who was the attorney responsible for the investigation into Rose’s gambling many years ago. It was because of Dowd’s investigation that Rose was exiled from the game, so there’s no love lost between the two. During a radio interview two years ago, Dowd claimed that Rose had sexual relationships with underage girls during spring training, some between the ages of 12 and 14.
Rose denied Dowd’s allegation, saying it is “entirely false in every respect,” and sued Dowd for defamation. As part of the lawsuit, court documents obtained by ESPN revealed the claim that Rose had a sexual relationship in the 1970s with a female below the age of 16, which was the age of consent in Ohio at the time. In her sworn statement, the now-adult woman claimed the relationships started when she was 14 or 15.
Rose did not deny the relationship, but claimed she was 16 when it started, which would have been legal. Rose was 34 years old, married, and had two children at the time, so legality isn’t necessarily the only issue here. The Fox network has had considerable negative publicity recently that included allegations of sexual harassment, misconduct, and general sexism. Two of the biggest names in the Fox universe, chairman Roger Ailes and longtime employee Bill O’Reilly, were both dismissed from the network because of the allegations about their behavior towards women.
This latest information about Rose may have made him too toxic for Fox, although the network has not confirmed that Rose will be removed. As with so many of Rose’s problems, he brought this one upon himself. Not only did he have a questionable (or worse) relationship 40 years ago, but it’s come to light because of his defamation lawsuit against Dowd. Had he not filed the lawsuit, this new information would not have been made public. You have to wonder if Rose thought this one through.