Pete Rose’s death on Monday has reignited the debate over whether he should be taken off the MLB ineligible list and somehow voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Former MLB commissioner Fay Vincent played a role in allowing the former Cincinnati Reds manager to go on the ineligible list. Vincent was deputy commissioner at the time. When Rose requested to be reinstated after Vincent took over the job following Bart Giamatti’s death, he did nothing about it. Rose’s reinstatement applications were never accepted.

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MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent talks to reporters prior to the 1991 MLB All Star game at the Sky Dome in Toronto on July 9, 1991. (RVR Photos – USA TODAY Sports)

Vincent, now 86, spoke about Rose’s career to The Athletic after Rose’s death was revealed.

“I think he was committed to baseball in the sense of the game, and his commitment was certainly intense,” Vincent told the newspaper. “He had a series of problems regarding his standards of conduct. He made a number of mistakes when he came along, and by the time I got to know him and Bart and I dealt with him in the betting matter, it was really too late.

“I mean, he had shaped his attitude and his character, and I’m afraid he really thought money was so important, and he gambled a lot, and he lost a lot, and I think the corruption problem in his life was a serious one. “

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Montreal Expos Pete Rose, No. 14, celebrates his 4,000th career hit with teammates against the Philadelphia Phillies at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal on April 13, 1984. (Ron Poling/The Canadian Press via AP, file)

Vincent admitted that Rose’s death made it “easier” for him to get into the Hall of Fame, especially now that gambling has been embraced by the sport. However, he made it clear whether he belonged in the Hall of Fame.

“Do I think he belongs in the Hall of Fame? I don’t think someone who participates in the corruption of the game like he did belongs in the Hall of Fame,” Vincent said. ‘I think there has to be a moral dimension to tribute. Otherwise, we will have to hold the ceremony on the prison grounds because we have to have the prisoner come out of his cell to be honored on the prison grounds. I don’t think that’s a good thing.”

He added that if Rose had been honest at all, admitted wrongdoing and made an effort to discourage young people from betting on baseball, he probably would have stepped in a while ago.

Former Philadelphia Phillies player Pete Rose waves to fans during an alumni day on August 7, 2022 in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

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Rose remained on the ineligible list even as a three-time World Series champion and MLB’s all-time hitting king.

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