WWE late Hall of Famer Pete Rose will be eligible for the MLB Hall of Fame.
Rose was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame’s Celebrity Induction in 2004. He passed away at 83 last September. However, he is was not eligible for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame due to past controversies.
In 1989, Major League Baseball banned him after determining he bet on games. Rose later admitted in his 2004 autobiography that he had gambled while playing and managing the Cincinnati Reds.
This week, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred removed Pete Rose, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, and other deceased players from the list of permanently ineligible players for the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Manfred explained that a deceased person no longer poses a threat to the integrity of the game. As a result, he decided to remove Pete Rose from the permanently ineligible list after his passing. In his statement he said, “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 removal from the list earlier this year.
“Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve. “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.”
Rose had an outstanding MLB career from 1963 to 1986. He played for the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, and Montreal Expos. He is MLB’s all-time leader in hits 4,256. Rose holds additional records for most games played, at-bats, singles, and outs. Rose won three World Series titles, three batting titles, an MVP Award, two Gold Gloves, and Rookie of the Year.
