NEW YORK — Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred on May 13, 2025, removed Pete Rose, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, and 16 other deceased individuals from the permanently ineligible list, making them eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame. The decision ends lifetime bans for Rose, banned in 1989 for betting on games, and Jackson, banned in 1921 for his role in the Black Sox Scandal.
Manfred’s ruling, announced in a letter to attorney Jeffrey M. Lenkov, who petitioned for Rose’s reinstatement on January 8, 2025, states that bans end upon a person’s death. “Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game,” Manfred wrote. “Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve.”
Rose, baseball’s all-time hit leader with 4,256 hits, accepted a permanent ban from then-Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti in August 1989 after an investigation confirmed he bet on Cincinnati Reds games while managing. Jackson, with a .356 career batting average, was banned by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis in 1921, along with seven Chicago White Sox teammates, for fixing the 1919 World Series. The ruling also clears other Black Sox players, including Eddie Cicotte and Buck Weaver, and one deceased owner.
The decision allows Rose, who died on September 30, 2024, at age 83, and Jackson, who died in 1951, to be considered for the Hall of Fame by the Historical Overview Committee in December 2027. Election requires 12 of 16 votes from the Classic Baseball Era Committee, with potential induction in summer 2028. “This has been a long journey,” said Lenkov, representing Rose’s family. “On behalf of the family, they are very proud and pleased and know that their father would have been overjoyed at this decision today.”
Jane Forbes Clark, chairman of the Hall of Fame’s board, confirmed the committee will develop a ballot including Rose, Jackson, and others. Lenkov plans to petition the Hall for Rose’s induction soon and will attend Pete Rose Night at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park on May 14, 2025. “Reds Nation will not only be able to celebrate Pete’s legacy, but now optimistically be able to look forward to the possibility that Pete will join other baseball immortals,” Lenkov said.
The 1991 “Pete Rose rule” barred banned players from Hall eligibility. Rose never appeared on a ballot, while Jackson was considered before the rule. Rose’s career included three World Series titles, three batting titles, and the 1973 MVP Award. Jackson, despite accepting $5,000 to throw the 1919 World Series, batted .375 in the series with its only home run. “It’s a great day for baseball,” said Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt, Rose’s Phillies teammate, in a team statement.
Manfred’s decision follows years of debate. Rose applied for reinstatement in 2015, admitting he still bet legally on sports, including baseball. Manfred denied the request, citing an “unacceptable risk” to the game’s integrity. A 2020 petition argued Rose’s punishment was unfair compared to unpunished Houston Astros players in a sign-stealing scandal. Earlier in 2025, President Donald Trump announced plans to pardon Rose posthumously for his 1990 tax fraud conviction, though its scope was unclear.
John Dowd, who investigated Rose, told ESPN in 2020 that Jackson deserves Hall consideration but opposed Rose’s inclusion due to his conduct. Rose admitted in 2004 to betting on baseball as a manager but denied doing so as a player, though a 2015 ESPN report suggested otherwise. Rose’s legacy also faces scrutiny over a 2017 statutory rape allegation, which led to the Phillies canceling his Wall of Fame induction.
The Black Sox Scandal, depicted in the 1988 film “Eight Men Out,” remains a dark chapter in baseball history. Public campaigns, including South Carolina legislators’ efforts, have long supported Jackson’s induction. Rose’s ban sparked decades of fan outcry, amplified by MLB’s recent embrace of legalized gambling. “I thought we lived in a country where you’re given a second chance,” Rose said in a 2020 ESPN interview, estimating the ban cost him $80 million in earnings.
