MLB reinstates Pete Rose and others, paving way for Hall of Fame consideration [View all]

Pete Rose and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson are no longer official baseball pariahs. In a seismic decision that will alter the legacies of more than a dozen disgraced baseball heroes, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced Tuesday that players punished with permanent ineligibility will be reinstated after their deaths. Players on MLB’s permanently ineligible list are banned from entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame, but Rose, baseball’s all-time hits leader who died last year at 83, will now be eligible for inclusion for the first time.

"In my view, a determination must be made regarding how the phrase ‘permanently ineligible’ should be interpreted in light of the purposes and policies behind Rule 21, which are to: (1) protect the game from individuals who pose a risk to the integrity of the sport by prohibiting the participation of such individuals; and (2) create a deterrent effect that reduces the likelihood of future violations by others,” Manfred wrote in a letter to the Rose family’s attorney, which was released by MLB.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/05/13/mlb-reinstates-pete-rose/