Trump to Posthumously Pardon Baseball Legend Pete Rose, Banned for Sports Betting

^{Pictured: Donald Trump and Pete Rose}

President Donald Trump announced he will grant a full pardon to baseball icon Pete Rose, more than 35 years after his lifetime ban for betting on games. As reported by USA Today, Trump also criticized Major League Baseball (MLB) for keeping Rose out of the Hall of Fame.

The former Reds star never lived to see his name cleared. He passed away on September 30, 2024, at the age of 83, still serving a lifetime ban from the sport.

In 1989, MLB Commissioner Bart Giamatti found Rose guilty of betting on baseball while playing for and managing the Cincinnati Reds. Two years later, the league formally ruled that Rose would be permanently ineligible for the Hall of Fame.

For years, Rose denied the allegations, only admitting in 2004 that he had placed bets. He maintained, however, that he never bet against his own team.

“Over the next few weeks I will be signing a complete pardon of Pete Rose, who shouldn’t have been gambling on baseball, but only bet on his team winning. He never betted against himself, or the other team. He had the most hits, by far, in baseball history, and won more games than anyone in sports history,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The president also expressed regret that Rose wouldn’t get to experience his long-overdue Hall of Fame induction: “Now he is dead, will never experience the thrill of being selected, even though he was a FAR BETTER PLAYER than most of those who made it, and can only be named posthumously. WHAT A SHAME!”