Pete Rose denies 'statutory rape' accusations — report

By Dan Cahill

Pete Rose vehemently denies “rape” allegations made by John Dowd. | AP

Just when it seems all is good with Pete Rose and baseball, he takes another hit.

Last month Cincinnati Reds fans greeted the exiled Rose at the All-Star Game with a standing ovation. Around that same time, John Dowd, the man who led the MLB investigation that got Rose banned, accused Rose of a very serious crime during a radio interview on WCHE in Chester, Pa.

When asked about Rose’s morals, Dowd cited this story from Michael Bertolini, Rose’s friend who supplied MLB with betting info on Rose.

Michael Bertolini [a Rose associate] told us that not only did he run bets, but he ran young girls for him down in spring training. Ages 12 to 14. Isn’t that lovely? So that’s statutory rape every time you do that.

When told of the accusations on Thursday by NJ.com, Rose, 74, vehemently denied them:

Oh, my God! Where was my family all of this time in spring training? I never went to spring training without my family except for first year when I was a rookie. It’s shocking. What level are they going to reach to next? What’s Dowd going to talk about next? Something from 50 years ago when I was 24 years old? I don’t know why anybody would believe that. It’s unbelievable. That’s the best one so far.

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