Former Copper League players reinstated from MLB’s permanent ineligible list

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred’s announcement comes in response to Pete Rose’s death and petition from his family. Rose was banned from MLB due to gambling in 1989.

In an excerpt of a letter to the lawyer for the Rose family, the claim was that once a player is no longer around, they can’t represent a threat to the game’s integrity.

“Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve,” a section of the letter said.

Those involved in the Black Sox Scandal were also reinstated, including three players who traveled and played in smaller leagues in Arizona. Chick Gandil, George “Buck” Weaver, and Claude “Lefty” Williams were banned from MLB due to their alleged involvement with gamblers to intentionally lose the World Series in 1919.

Although the trial would find the players not guilty, they were prohibited from playing in the major leagues again.

Gandil, Weaver, and Williams played for other local teams across the U.S. and were once together in Arizona’s Copper League. Gandil and Weaver united to play for the Douglas team in 1925, with Williams joining the duo in 1926.

They would only spend a few summers together in the desert before eventually going their separate ways.