Pete Rose, a former player turned manager, is back in the spotlight after Major League Baseball officially removed him from the permanently ineligible list, and no one feels the weight of that decision more than his daughter, Fawn Rose.
In an emotional interview with The Athletic, Fawn discussed her father’s legacy, what MLB reinstatement means to the family, and how it could finally pave the way for his Hall of Fame eligibility.
Fawn Rose was about to fly from Seattle to Cincinnati when she received the news.
“The emotion just kind of came over me,” Rose explained to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. “I didn’t think the commissioner’s decision was going to affect me as much as it did.”
Fawn, the eldest of Rose’s five children, played a key role in the recent efforts to reinstate her father. She met with Commissioner Rob Manfred in December, emphasizing the humanity behind the controversy.
“He is at fault. But he’s our father. “And he is human,” Rose said in the article.
Rose, baseball’s all-time hits leader, was suspended in 1989 for violating Rule 21(d)(2), which prohibits betting on games. His hopes for reinstatement had been dashed for decades, until now.
According to the league’s recent announcement, Rose is now eligible for Hall of Fame consideration by the Classic Baseball Era Committee in 2027.
Fawn’s heartfelt plea to Manfred left an indelible impression, according to family lawyer Jeffrey Lenkov in Rosenthal’s article.
“It was vital to hear Pete’s voice through his children,” Lenkov told reporters.
Rose went further: “I came away feeling extremely hopeful and heard.”
The Reds, who inducted Rose into their Hall of Fame in 2016, will honor his legacy this week by handing out replica No. 14 jerseys at Great American Ball Park. Rose’s impact on the franchise and game is undeniable.
In Cincinnati, fans have long championed Rose’s cause, and now that he is eligible for the Hall of Fame, they are renewing their efforts.
“There’s never going to be another Pete Rose- someone who played with that kind of heart and grit,” Rose said of her father.
As the campaign for Cooperstown continues, she hopes the baseball world will remember her father for more than his mistakes, and for the player and legend he was on the field.
