Pete Rose declined to answer two questions from reporters today about his relationship with an alleged underage girl in his first return to Philadelphia since August 1989.
Rose was in attendance as the team celebrated the Phillies’ 1980 World Series championship team and other former players.
The incidents in question first came to light in 2017. A woman, who remains unidentified, said Rose, then a member of the Cincinnati Reds, began a relationship with her in 1973 when she was 14 and 15 years old. They later allegedly had sexual relations in Cincinnati that lasted several years. She also claims that Rose met her at locations outside of Ohio for sex.
At the time, Rose was in his mid-30s and married with two children.
Rose’s attorney said the woman’s claims were unsubstantiated. Rose said in 2017 that he had a relationship with the woman, but said it started when she was 16. He also said they never had sex outside of Ohio, where the age of consent is 16.
The Phillies had planned to honor Rose in 2017, but abandoned those plans when the allegations surfaced. Speaking about the issue on Sunday, Rose dismissed it.
“It was 55 years ago, honey,” Rose told Alex Coffey, baseball writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“Who cares what happened 50 years ago?” Rose said. “You weren’t even born. So you should not talk about it because you are not born. If you don’t know anything about it, don’t talk about it.
He later rebuffed an AP reporter with similar questions.
Rose, now 81, declined to answer any other questions in the dugout.
The reporter tweeted later Sunday and claimed that Rose asked her if he had offended her and offered to “sign 1,000 baseballs” for forgiveness. She claims he said he was “sorry” for her.
Rose was banned for life by Major League Baseball in August 1989 for betting on his team, the Cincinnati Reds, when he was a player/manager.
Rose received a standing ovation from Phillies fans when he took the field at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday. He had 826 of his MLB record 4,256 hits in his five years with the Phillies from 1979 to 1983.
Add Comment