Social Media is Full of People Who Aren't Happy to See Pete Rose Reinstated By Baseball

On Tuesday, Major League Baseball made a seismic shift, as it reinstated Pete Rose and the members of the 1919 "Black Sox" scandal that had previously been banned for life. Rose had been banned for betting on baseball while managing the Cincinnati Reds, while the 1919 "Black Sox" were banned for allegedly throwing the 1919 World Series.

The reinstatements now make both Rose and "Shoeless Joe Jackson" eligible for Hall of Fame consideration, though they'd still have to be voted in by a special committee.

With regards to Rose specifically, he has several supporters who are happy to see him get the chance to earn enshrinement, including former Philadelphia Phillies teammate Mike Schmidt.

However, others on social media are unhappy at this news and have no support for Rose, especially considering his alleged statutory rape allegations from the 1970s that surfaced in 2017.

Per an ESPN Article from 2022:

Pete Rose dismissed questions on Sunday about his first appearance on the field in Philadelphia since the franchise scrapped plans in 2017 to honor him because of a woman's allegation that baseball's hit king had sex with her when she was a minor.....

...The woman, identified as Jane Doe in 2017, said Rose called her in 1973, when she was 14 or 15, and they had sexual encounters in Cincinnati that lasted several years. She also alleged Rose met her in locations outside Ohio for sex.

Rose's lawyer had said the woman's claims are unverified.

Per Gabrielle Starr, who covers the Boston Red Sox for the Boston Herald:

Pete Rose admitted on the record to having sexual relations with a teenage girl during his playing career. She said it began when she was 14 or 15, and he was in his 30s and a married father of two.
Hope the Hall of Fame’s character clause keeps him out of Cooperstown.

Pete Rose admitted on the record to having sexual relations with a teenage girl during his playing career. She said it began when she was 14 or 15, and he was in his 30s and a married father of two.
Hope the Hall of Fame’s character clause keeps him out of Cooperstown.
— Gabrielle Starr (@gfstarr1) May 13, 2025

And there are others on social media who feel the same way:

Pete Rose was a creep. pic.twitter.com/x28o1M8Rzh
— Guardians of The Land (@OurCLEGuardians) May 13, 2025

Pete Rose is a pedophile who gambled. There’s one rule to baseball and he broke it, and to make matters worse he statutory r*ped a little girl. Major League Baseball got its priorities backwards. https://t.co/Re3Apbu6mh
— Mike Dro (@MikeDro_) May 13, 2025

On the field, Rose is of the greatest players to ever play the game. He spent 24 years in the big leagues with the Reds, Montreal Expos and Phillies. He is baseball's all-time hit leader at 4,256 hits. He also leads baseball in games played, plate appearances and at-bats.

Nicknamed "Charlie Hustle" for the way in which he played the game, Rose was a lifetime .303 hitter who carried a .375 on-base percentage. All in all, he was a 17-time All-Star, a two-time Gold Glover, an MVP, a World Series MVP, a Rookie of the Year, a three-time World Series champion and a three-time batting champion. He also won a Silver Slugger Award.

Related MLB Stories