PHILADELPHIA — Pete Rose returned to Philadelphia on Sunday as part of a celebration of the 1980 Phillies World Series team and deflected a question about whether his presence sends a negative message to women.
“No, I’m not here to talk about that,” Rose said when asked by The Inquirer. “Sorry about that. It was 55 years ago, babe.”
Rose, 81, was banned by Major League Baseball in 1989 for betting on baseball during his playing and managing career. In 2017, testimony came out in federal court alleging that he had a relationship with a girl in Cincinnati —referred to as Jane Doe — who was below the age of consent at the time the relationship started. In a sworn statement submitted by the woman in court filings, which were obtained by the ESPN, she said her relationship with Rose started in 1973 and continued for a couple of years.
