Major League Baseball’s announcement on Tuesday that it was lifting the lifetime ban on Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson was a big hit for some fans, while others cried foul.
Rose died in September at the age of 83, while Jackson died in 1951 at the age of 64. Both received lifetime bans from MLB because of gambling allegations.
In his statement announcing the reinstatements, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said the bans are supposed “to protect the game from individuals who pose a risk to the integrity of the sport.”
However, Manfred said that “once an individual has passed away, the purposes of [the bans] have been served,” and added, “obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game.”
You can see the complete statement below.
Some people cheered the news, and the fact that it finally makes Rose and Jackson eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Others didn’t think suspected cheaters should be celebrated.