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'It was 50 years ago, babe': Baseball legend Pete Rose IGNORES question about alleged sex with minor

A woman identified as Jane Doe earlier claimed that she had a sexual relationship with Pete Rose in 1973, when she was only 14 or 15 years of age

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: Pete Rose, who was in Philadelphia on Sunday, August 7, to celebrate the 1980 world champions, ignored a question about his alleged relationship with a minor decades ago. “No, I’m not here to talk about that. Sorry about that. It was 55 years ago, babe,” he told female Philadelphia Inquirer Phillies writer Alex Coffey.

Rose, 81, 17-time All-Star, was banned from baseball in 1989 for gambling on the sport from 1985 to 1987. He declined to make any further comments on the allegations against him. “I’m going to tell you one more time. I’m here for the Philly fans. I’m here for my teammates. I’m here for the Phillies organization,” Rose allegedly said. “And who cares what happened 50 years ago. You weren’t even born. So you shouldn’t be talking about it, because you weren’t born. If you don’t know a damn thing about it, don’t talk about it.”

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Coffey said a representative of Rose later approached her to apologize on his behalf. "Will you forgive me if I sign 1,000 baseballs for you? Rose joked to her, before saying "sorry". The Phillies had said in an earlier statement that everyone wasnt Pete to be part of the event. "In planning the 1980 reunion, we consulted with Pete’s teammates about his inclusion,” the team said. Everyone wants Pete to be part of the festivities since there would be no trophy in 1980 without him. In addition, the club received permission from the Commissioner’s Office to invite Pete as a member of the championship team.”

What were the allegations against Pete Rose?

A woman identified as Jane Doe earlier claimed that she had a sexual relationship with Rose in 1973, when she was only 14 or 15 years of age. Rose was married at the time with two children. Rose's lawyer said that the allegations against him were unverified. Rose admitted in 2017 that he had a relationship with the woman, but claimed she she was the legal age of consent in Ohio, which is 16. Going against the accuser's account, he said that he did not have any sexual encounters outside of Ohio.

Rose accepted a permanent ban for betting on baseball several years ago. He retired after the 1986 season as the sport's all-time leader with 4,256 hits and 3,562 games played.

Back in 1984, Rose took over as player/manager for the Reds, and reportedly spent six seasons as the Cincinnati Reds' manager. During this time, he allegedly began betting on the Reds on a regular basis. In August 1989, Rose was penalized with permanent ineligibility from baseball after being accused of gambling on baseball games while he played for the Reds, and while he managed the team. The charges against him included claims that he bet on his own team.

In 1990, Rose was sentenced to five months in prison and fined $50,000 for cheating on his taxes for failing to report more than $354,000 in income from baseball memorabilia sales, autograph appearances and gambiling. “I have no excuses because it’s all my fault,” he said at the time. “I lost my dignity, I lost my self respect . . . and I almost lost a lot of dear friends.”