Phillies statement on Rose attending '80 celebration
PHILADELPHIA -- Pete Rose will be at Citizens Bank Park in two weeks to participate in a celebration of the Phillies’ 1980 World Series championship team.
Rose has not been on the field at Veterans Stadium or Citizens Bank Park since Major League Baseball issued him a lifetime ban in 1989 for gambling. The Phillies planned to induct Rose onto their Wall of Fame in 2017, but they pulled the invite and honor following allegations in a lawsuit that summer that he had a sexual relationship in the 1970s with a minor in Cincinnati.
Rose was not charged criminally because it was past Ohio’s statute of limitations.
“In planning the 1980 reunion, we consulted with Pete’s teammates about his inclusion,” the Phillies said Sunday afternoon in a statement. “Everyone wants Pete to be part of the festivities since there would be no trophy in 1980 without him. In addition, the club received permission from the Commissioner’s Office to invite Pete as a member of the championship team.”