Rob Manfred Admits Donald Trump’s Role In MLB Decision on Pete Rose Reinstatement

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred surprised fans of the sport when he announced former star player and manager Pete Rose would once again be eligible for induction into the baseball Hall of Fame.

Rose had received a lifetime ban, which carried over into his eligibility for induction after it was revealed that he had bet on games as a manager with the Cincinnati Reds. But his case for earning induction as a player was clear-cut, as he was one of the most prolific performers the game had ever seen.

In May, Manfred removed Rose and several other deceased players from the ineligible list, explaining that a lifetime ban should not carry over after their deaths. At the time, speculation rose that President Donald Trump had played a large role in that decision, as Trump has long been a vocal supporter of Rose’s case for the Hall of Fame. However, Manfred did not underscore any role the president might have played in the decision at the time.

Now, however, Manfred has detailed Trump’s influence during a news conference tied to an owners meeting on Wednesday.

“The president was one of a number of voices that was supportive of the idea that this was the right decision,” Manfred admitted, per Fox News. “Obviously, I have respect for the office and the advice that he gave I paid attention to, but I had a lot of other people that were weighing in on the topic as well.”

Now that Rose as well as Shoeless Joe Jackson have had their lifetime bans lifted, a committee will decide if the players should be inducted into the prestigious hall. Given the recent reversal from the commissioner and strong interest from the president, that induction might be a foregone conclusion.

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