Major League Baseball has finally lifted Pete Rose’s lifetime ban, making the league’s all-time hits leader eligible for Hall of Fame consideration, and some are not too happy about the timing of the decision.
Longtime Cincinnati Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman has voiced strong criticism of Major League Baseball’s decision to reinstate Pete Rose after his death, calling it “the wrong way to go.”
Brennaman Slams the Timing
Brennaman, who called games from 1974 to 2019, didn’t mince words in his reaction. In an interview with TMZ, he emphasized the emotional toll the delay had on Rose during his lifetime.
“I just felt that he had served his jail time, if you will, far longer than he really should’ve had to do it.
“And the fact that they rushed to make him eligible within a matter of months, to me, was the wrong way to go about doing business,” Brennaman said.
According to the New York Post, Brennaman “is happy to see Rose become eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame, he wishes it had occurred while the Reds great was still alive.”
Recognition Comes Too Late
For Brennaman and many of Rose’s supporters, the issue isn’t whether he deserved the honor, it’s that he was denied it during his lifetime.
Rose had long accepted that he might never be reinstated and hoped, at the very least, that his family could one day see his name properly honored. Still, the posthumous decision leaves a bitter taste.
“I’m just trying to reconcile in my own mind why they waited as long as they did.
“And then, within a matter of months after Pete’s passing in September, now they come out, and they announce in grand fashion that they have lifted the suspension and made he and ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson–there may be others I’m not even aware of–eligible to be considered for the Baseball Hall of Fame.”
Rose’s Repeated Appeals
While Brennaman expressed frustration from a broadcaster’s perspective, Rose himself spent years personally fighting for that second chance.
Rose persistently sought reinstatement, penning numerous letters to successive MLB commissioners pleading for another chance.
His appeals were often emotional, expressing deep remorse for his actions and a desire to be remembered for his accomplishments on the field rather than his mistakes off it.
Despite his consistent efforts–most notably a heartfelt letter to commissioner Rob Manfred in 2015–Rose’s requests were repeatedly denied.
“Mr. Rose has not presented credible evidence of a reconfigured life either by an honest acceptance by him of his wrongdoing, so clearly established by the Dowd Report, or by a rigorous, self-aware and sustained program of avoidance by him of the circumstances that led to his permanent eligibility in 1989,” Manfred wrote.
“Absent such credible evidence, allowing him to work in the game presents an unacceptable risk of a future violation by him of Rule 21, and thus to the integrity of our sport.”
In 2022, Rose tried yet another appeal. However, he was denied and Manfred had this to say:
“I believe that when you bet on baseball, from Major League Baseball’s perspective, you belong on the permanently ineligible list.
“When I dealt with the issue, the last time he applied for reinstatement, I made clear that I didn’t think that the function of that baseball list was the same as the eligibility criteria for the Hall of Fame.
“That remains my position. I think it’s a conversation that really belongs in the Hall of Fame board. I’m on that board, and it’s just not appropriate for me to get in front of that conversation.”
Family Reaction and Lingering Controversy
Pete Rose Jr. expressed his gratitude and excitement for his father’s posthumous induction, saying, “It’s a great day to be a Cincinnati Reds fan.”
“Obviously thrilled about the news, but it stinks that Dad’s not here, and Dad’s not going to be back and dad can’t be here to enjoy it,” he added.
“But it’s definitely great news to hear.”
While the family appreciates the formal recognition, many wonder why it couldn’t have happened while Rose was still alive to experience it.
The reinstatement followed persistent efforts by Rose’s attorney and a pivotal meeting involving Rose’s daughter and MLB officials.
Despite this, Brennaman’s frustration underscores a broader debate within the baseball community: Can redemption ever come too late?
Reds Former Broadcaster Blasts MLB’s Timing on Rose’s HOF Reinstatement