“Once an individual has passed away, the purpose of Rule 21 has been served… permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual.”
Major League Baseball announced Tuesday that it will remove Pete Rose and 16 other deceased individuals from the sport’s permanently ineligible list.
The decision, revealed in a statement from Commissioner Rob Manfred, follows a petition submitted by the Rose family and marks the first time the league has formally addressed whether posthumous bans should be maintained.
“In response to a petition from the family of Pete Rose, Commissioner Robert. D Manfred, Jr. today issued a policy decision regarding the status of 17 individuals who passed away while on the permanently ineligible list,” the league said in a statement.
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View on XRose, who passed away earlier this year, was originally banned from baseball in 1989 for betting on games while managing the Cincinnati Reds. While the league did not address any new considerations regarding his Hall of Fame eligibility, it confirmed that he and others who died while still banned will no longer be listed as permanently ineligible.
Excerpts from Manfred’s letter to the Rose family’s lawyer outlined the rationale behind the move: “The question of whether an individual should remain on the permanently ineligible list after his death has never been formally addressed by Major League Baseball. Indeed, Mr. Rose is the first person banned by a Commissioner other than Kenesaw Mountain Landis to die while still on the ineligible list. As such, it is incumbent upon the Office of the Commissioner to reach a policy decision regarding this unprecedented issue in the modern era.”
The statement continues: “In my view, once an individual has passed away, the purpose of Rule 21 have been served. Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game. Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve. Therefore, I have concluded that permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual, and Mr. Rose will be removed from the permanently ineligible list.”
This will allow Rose and others, like Shoeless Joe Jackson that would be eligible for the Hall of Fame.
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