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Player-turned-manager Pete Rose is back in the headlines after Major League Baseball officially removed him from its permanently ineligible list, and no one is feeling the weight of that moment more than his daughter, Fawn Rose. In an emotional interview with The Athletic, Fawn opened up about her father's legacy, what the MLB reinstatement means to the family, and how it could finally open the door for his Hall of Fame eligibility.
Fawn Rose was preparing to fly from Seattle to Cincinnati when she heard the news.
“The emotion just kind of came over me,” Rose told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. “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, was instrumental in the recent efforts to get her father reinstated. She met directly with Commissioner Rob Manfred in December, expressing the humanity behind the controversy.
“He's at fault. But he's our dad. And he's human,” Rose stated in the article.
Rose, baseball's all-time hits leader, was banned in 1989 for violating Rule 21(d)(2), which forbids betting on games. For decades, his hopes of reinstatement were repeatedly denied, until now. With 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 made a lasting impression, according to family attorney Jeffrey Lenkov in Rosenthal's article.
“It was vital to hear Pete's voice through his children,” Lenkov said.
Rose added, “I came away feeling extremely hopeful and heard.”
The Reds, who inducted Rose into their team Hall of Fame in 2016, will honor his legacy again this week by giving out replica No. 14 jerseys at Great American Ball Park. Rose's impact on the franchise and the game remains undeniable.
In Cincinnati, the Reds faithful have long championed Rose's case, and now that he is eligible for Hall of Fame consideration, fans are reigniting that push with new energy.
“There's never going to be another Pete Rose– someone who played with that kind of heart and grit,” Rose said about her father.
As the push toward Cooperstown continues, she's hopeful the baseball world will recognize her father for more than just the mistakes, and remember the player and the legend he was on the field.
