Report: Pete Rose Bet On Baseball As A Player, According To Documents

Pete Rose’s bid for baseball reinstatement might have just hit a major snag.

ESPN’s “Outside The Lines” obtained documents and released a report Monday claiming Rose bet on baseball games as a player in 1986. Previously, Rose insisted he only bet on games as a manager, which ultimately led to a lifetime suspension from baseball. In recent years, Rose has petitioned that lifetime ban.

Rose’s bid for a pardon seems like a long shot now.

“This does it,” former investigator John Dowd, who wrote the 1989 report surrounding Rose’s gambling, told ESPN.com. “This closes the door.”

The ESPN report alleges Rose, as a player for the Cincinnati Reds in 1986, bet on baseball, including Reds games. Rose served as the Reds’ player-manager in ’86, but according to ESPN, the obtained documents don’t seem to indicate Rose bet against the Reds.

However, according to the report, “Rose bet on at least one MLB team on 30 different days” from March through July. Of those 30 days, he bet on the Reds at least 21 times, including games he played.

Thumbnail photo via Rob Leifheit/USA TODAY Sports Images