Pete Rose sues John Dowd over claim he had sex with minors

 

Major League Baseball's all-time hits leader Pete Rose Wednesday sued the man who helped get him banned for life from the sport. At issue: Comments John Dowd made on a radio show last year suggesting Rose may have committed statutory rape with minors.

 

Dowd, who led the 1989 investigation into Rose's gambling on baseball, said last year on a Philadelphia radio station that Rose was having sex with underage girls.

 

“Michael Bertolini told us that not only did he run bets, but he ran young girls for him down in spring training. Ages 12-14,” Dowd said on WCHE 1520 AM in an interview on July 13, 2015, referring to a longtime Rose associate. “Isn't that lovely? So that's statutory rape every time you do that. So he's just not the kind of person that I find very attractive. He's a street guy.”

 

The suit, filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania U.S. District Court, claims that Dowd had long shown a bias against Rose in previous interviews and that he refused to recant the statements when given the chance in private. The suit claims Rose lost a $250,000 endorsement deal with Skechers footwear as a result of Dowd's comments.

 

Rose is seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages.

 

Last summer, Rose told NJ.com that the allegations were "shocking."

 

"Oh, my God!" Rose said last year. "Where was my family all of this time in spring training? I never went to spring training without my family except for my first year when I was a rookie. It's shocking."

 

Rose declined interview requests about his lawsuit through his lawyer Ray Genco.

 

Dowd could not immediately be reached for comment.

 

Genco told The Enquirer Rose is targeting only Dowd with the suit, and not the radio station nor "publishers with deep pockets."

 

He said it has taken this long to file the lawsuit because "we wanted to make sure we looked at all angles and all the options and that the law was on our side. This is not a fun case to bring as a plaintiff."

 

"But no matter what his transgressions in the past may have been, no matter what you may think of him in terms of the baseball Hall of Fame debate, it's not open season to the point you can accuse them of being a pedophile," Genco said.

 

In that same NJ.com story last summer, Dowd said the radio interview statements "were blown out of proportion" and that he was just passing along what he said he had been told by Bertolini. He suggested around that time that an Enquirer reporter talk to Rose's associates to corroborate what he had said.

 

In a statement issued by his lawyer last summer, Bertolini denied ever making such an allegation.

 

“Mike categorically denies the allegation – he never did any such thing, nor did Pete Rose, nor did Mike say anything to Dowd about the subject,” attorney Nick De Feis said in the statement. “The story is libelous to him and to Rose and should be retracted immediately.”

I hope Pete buries Dowd over this one...I think it's pretty clear that Dowd was biased in this mess, and I'm not saying Pete is innocent or guilty, not a homer for him, because I think he's probably got a history but Dowd's 15 minutes of fame is over. If Dowd continued to say things about Pete and didn't specifically just quote what he knew, I hope he loses everything he ever owned. Dowd's a tool bag....

The suit claims Rose lost a $250,000 endorsement deal with Skechers footwear as a result of Dowd's comments.

 

I knew that with a defamation suit, you had to prove that you somehow lost money, or something along those lines. When I heard this on the radio yesterday, I was curious what money Rose had lost. This answers that.

 

I wonder if he has some type of notification that reads similar to, "due to the recent comments of statutory rape on a radio show, we'll be dropping you". Seems like that would be open and shut.

I hope Pete buries Dowd over this one...I think it's pretty clear that Dowd was biased in this mess, and I'm not saying Pete is innocent or guilty, not a homer for him, because I think he's probably got a history but Dowd's 15 minutes of fame is over. If Dowd continued to say things about Pete and didn't specifically just quote what he knew, I hope he loses everything he ever owned. Dowd's a tool bag....

 

^This

I knew that with a defamation suit, you had to prove that you somehow lost money, or something along those lines. When I heard this on the radio yesterday, I was curious what money Rose had lost. This answers that.

 

I wonder if he has some type of notification that reads similar to, "due to the recent comments of statutory rape on a radio show, we'll be dropping you". Seems like that would be open and shut.

 

He had a great gig with Sketchers too. They had invested some money in him, had a nice commercial, a decent, professional endorsement, and probably the first that I can remember willing to go out on a limb for Pete.

 

Not sure what kind of house Dowd owns, but maybe he'll have to sell to cover...

Rose had the reputation of having a ship in every port, so to speak. The age issue is new to me.

I have never been a Rose apologist in this whole thing because (1) Pete did it and lied about it for many years and (2) he vilified Dowd saying that his report was filled with lies when it was not. I don't blame Dowd for being extremely peeved at Rose because let's face it, when you have watched Rose totally lie to your face and the world for many years AND call you a liar when you know you are not...well, I think most of would hold a grudge. Also, to say Pete has numerous character flaws is an understatement. That being said, if Dowd just made this up about Rose and young girls, I hope Pete wins big. Having a gambling problem and being a pedophile are two TOTALLY different things...

Rose had the reputation of having a ship in every port, so to speak. The age issue is new to me.

 

And probably more than over half of MLB players yesterday, today and tomorrow.