Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred has ended the Major League Baseball ban on late legends Pete Rose and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, who were both barred from the sport due to gambling, along with 14 other deceased players and one late team owner.
“Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game,” Manfred wrote in a letter to attorney Jeffrey M. Lenkov, who petitioned for Rose’s reinstatement earlier this year, according to ESPN.
“Therefore, I have concluded that permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual, and Mr. Rose will be removed from the permanently ineligible list,” he added.
Rose, who died on Sept. 30, 2024, was the all-time hit king in the league. He was banned in August 1989 after it was determined that he had bet on games while managing the Cincinnati Reds.
Jackson, who was memorably portrayed by Ray Liotta in “Field of Dreams,” was one of the seven Chicago White Sox who were banned form the sport after agreeing to fix the 1919 World Series (the scandal was depicted in John Sayles’ 1988 drama “Eight Men Out,” where Jackson was played by D.B. Sweeney).
Lenkov has been campaigning for Rose’s reinstatement for more than a year. In December, he and Rose’s eldest daughter Fawn appealed to Manfred and MLB chief communications officer Pat Courtney.
“This has been a long journey,” Lenkov said on Tuesday. “On behalf of the family, they are very proud and pleased and know that their father would have been overjoyed at this decision today.”
Lenkov also said he and Rose’s family will now petition the Hall of Fame to officially induct the late player as soon as possible.
