Most controversial scandals in MLB history: #1. Pete Rose’s gambling ways brought to light
Pete Rose enjoyed a ridiculous MLB career. After roughly two decades of dominance Rose’s stats and accomplishments simply jump off the page. He was a 17-time All-Star, multiple-time MVP and currently ranks number one all-time in hits with 4,256.
Despite all of those impressive numbers, not only will Pete Rose never get into the Hall of Fame but he’ll never be welcomed back to the game ever again.
After dominating on the Cincinnati Reds for the bulk of his career, once Rose hung his cleats up in 1986, that same organization gave him a chance to return, this time, as a manager. Still wanting to get away from the gambling image, MLB was a bit hesitant on Rose and his betting past. After opening an investigation to make sure everything was on the up and up, the results of their findings left them with no choice but to get rid of Rose.
In 1987, it was reported that Rose bet on at least 52 Reds games. It wasn’t an insignificant figure either as Rose is believed to have bet at least $10,000 per game. Although he denied it, Rose knew he was dead in the water. As a result, he negotiated a deal. The details of said deal were he would accept a ban from baseball but MLB would come out and say Rose did not admit to anything and nothing was found. Essentially, Rose agreed to his removal from the game as long as they didn’t tell on him.
Eventually, after years of trying to get reinstated, Rose decided to come clean. He admitted that he betted on games but only for the Reds to win. His last-ditch attempt to earn a few sympathy points didn’t work as he’s still banned from the sport of baseball.