President Donald Trump said he forgives baseball’s Great Pete Rose on Friday and criticises Major League Baseball, except for the sports hall of fame’s best champions ever for gambling.
Rose, who passed away last year at the age of 83, was banned from baseball for the rest of his life. He admitted he had bets on the game in 2004, but never opposed his own team.
“In the coming weeks, I would have signed a full pardon from Pete Rose, who should have been betting on his team’s victory, although I would not have been gambling in baseball,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“He never wagered on himself or any other team. He was a much more hit in baseball history and won more games than anyone in sports history.”
Trump didn’t say what the pardon would cover. Rose pleaded guilty to a felony charge of filing a false tax return in 1990, news reports said at the time.
Having spent most of his career from 1963 to 1986 with the Cincinnati Reds, Rose has won three World Series times and leads Major League Baseball’s all-time charts in hits, games, at-bats, singles and outs.