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The all-time hits leader spoke at length with Cincinnati Magazine about being inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame, and having his number retired by the team. In the interview, Rose addressed his gambling habits when he was asked if he’d consider not betting on baseball.
Current MLB commissioner Rob Manfred met with Rose last season, and there was a possibility the ban on the Hit King would be lifted. But when the two met, Rose lied to his face about betting on baseball. And in the report explaining Manfred’s decision to not reinstate Rose, he listed the gambling habits as a reason why.
“During our meeting, Mr. Rose told me that he has continued to bet on horse racing and on professional sports, including baseball. Those bets may have been permitted by law in the jurisdictions in which they were placed, but this fact does not mean that the bets would be permissible if made by a player or manager subject to Rule 21,” the report reads. “Even more troubling, in our interview, Rose initially denied betting on baseball currently and only later in the interview did he ‘clarify’ his response to admit such betting.”
Basically, Rose should know that continuing to participate in the act that got you banned from baseball, and then lying about it, won’t help you get reinstated. But now it sounds like, at 75, Rose isn’t as passionate about a return to baseball.
“I’m just going to live my life, because there’s a hell of a lot more behind me than there is in front of me,” he said when asked if he’d file for reinstatement again. “I used to really want to get reinstated because I wanted to manage a baseball team. I’m 75 now; I’m not going to manage any baseball teams. That has kind of left my mind.”
