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MLB Commissioner Speaks Out on Decision to Re-instate Rose, Shoeless Joe

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Eric W. Bolin | Last updated May 29, 2025 9:34 PM ET

No commissioner in any major North American is terribly popular with the fans. Major League Baseball's head, Rob Manfred, created both more detractors and more supporters last month when he decided to re-instate former players Pete Rose and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, among others.

Both Rose and Jackson had been blackballed from the league's Hall of Fame. Rose had gambled on MLB games while serving as a player/coach with the Cincinnati Reds in the 1980s. Jackson participated in a conspiracy to fix the 1919 World Series.

The latter was banned in 1920. The former banned in 1989.

Manfred overturned those bans and reinstated the players on May 13. On Thursday, the commissioner spoke out about the decision.

"Yeah, it's a difficult decision because people are passionate about issues like this," Manfred said. "When you come up the side of the business that I came up, living up to your agreements is a really important thing and this was overdue, in my opinion."

Jackson had his opportunity to make the Hall of Fame as the organization didn't enact a rule barring banned players from inclusion until 1991. Rose has never received a chance to be voted on by the committee.

That changed with Manfred's decision.

"And then, last, I think what people don't realize is Pete Rose wasn't disciplined by commissioner Giamatti," Manfred said. "He entered a settlement agreement with the league. At the time they entered into that settlement, he went on the permanently ineligible list knowing that the rules allowed the Hall of Fame to consider him.

"So I see the decision as baseball living up to the deal that they originally made with Pete Rose," Manfred said.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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