Phillies alumnus Pete Rose accused of sexual relations with teenage girl
By John Town
Phillies soon-to-be Wall of Famer Pete Rose was accused of having a sexual relationship with a girl before she turned 16 back in the 1970s.
Court documents revealed that former Phillies player and all-time hits leader Pete Rose had sexual relations with a teenage girl in the 1970s before she turned 16 years old. The document was revealed as part of a defamation lawsuit Rose filed against John Down, who said on a West Chester radio station that Rose raped teenage girls during spring training.
The woman’s testimony, under the name Jane Doe, said her and rose had a sexual relationship that started when she was 14 or 15 years old, beginning in 1973 while Rose was with the Reds. She also said that the two had sex outside the state of Ohio as well.
Rose did confirm that he did have a sexual relationship with this woman, but that it started when she was 16 years old, the legal age of consent in Ohio. He also denies that the two ever went outside of the state. At the time, Rose was married with two kids and well into his 30s.
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The suit began when Dowd said the following on WCHE-AM: [quote via the Chicago Tribune]
"“Michael Bertolini, you know, told us that he not only ran bets but he ran young girls for him down at spring training, ages 12 to 14,” Dowd responded. “Isn’t that lovely? So that’s statutory rape every time you do that.”"
Bertolini, an associate of Rose’s, has denied that he told Dowd this.
The recent testimony from this Jane Doe was filed for the defense, but Rose’s lawyer, Ray Genco, says it is unverified and calls it a “big distraction”.
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Rose is currently barred from entering the Baseball Hall of Fame due to gambling on baseball while he was manager of the Reds. He filed for reinstatement in 2015 when commissioner Rob Manfred was installed, but that request was denied, meaning Rose will likely never get in.
Despite being banned from Cooperstown, the Reds inducted Rose into their Hall of Fame last year.
The ceremony is set to take place in less than two weeks on Aug. 12. There is no word from the team about the allegations, but as of now the ceremony seems to be scheduled as planned.
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Rose is the MLB all-time hits leader with 4,256 over his 24-year career. He also has appeared in the most games and has the most at-bats and plate appearances.