MLB announces stunning decision allowing two scandalized legends to receive Hall of Fame honors

By JAKE FENNER

In an absolutely stunning decision, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred has reversed the lifetime bans that would prevent ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson and Pete Rose from being voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Rose and Jackson had been placed on the ‘permanently ineligible’ list to be enshrined in Cooperstown by MLB for decades due to accusations of gambling on their own team’s games.

Now, both Jackson and Rose are set to potentially be voted into the Hall of Fame after years of petitioning to allow either of them to be included.

In a letter to attorney Jeffrey Lenkov, who petitioned on the late Rose’s behalf for removal from the list on January 8, Manfred has now established precedent for a player being taken off the ‘permanently ineligible’ list.

‘Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game,’ Manfred’s letter said. 

‘Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve. 

Pete Rose is now be eligible for Hall of Fame induction after a decision by MLB’s commissioner

Manfred’s decision also allows White Sox star ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson to be considered

‘Therefore, I have concluded that permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual, and Mr. Rose will be removed from the permanently ineligible list.’ 

Both Rose and Jackson will likely be considered for enshrinement by the Hall’s Classic Baseball Era Committee – which evaluates players whose careers ended over 15 years ago. The two will need 12 of 16 votes to be inducted and the committee doesn’t meet again until December 2027. 

The ban for Rose has been held in place since 1989 and was instituted by late commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti after an investigation revealed he had been betting on games while he managed the Cincinnati Reds.

Meanwhile, Jackson’s ban was instituted by MLB’s first commissioner, Kennesaw Mountain Landis, in 1921 – along with the rest of the 1919 Chicago White Sox for the infamous ‘Black Sox’ scandal which saw the team purposely fix the World Series.

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MLB announces stunning decision allowing two scandalized legends to receive Hall of Fame honors

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