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MLB Ends Posthumous Bans on Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Clearing Hall of Fame Path

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Updated May 13, 2025, 08:49 PM

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday lifted lifetime bans on Pete Rose, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson and 15 other deceased figures, adopting a policy that “permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual.” The decision removes the group from MLB’s permanently ineligible list, ending punishments that stemmed from historic gambling scandals and enabling the individuals to be considered for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Rose, the sport’s all-time hits leader, was barred in 1989 after an investigation concluded he bet on Cincinnati Reds games while managing the club. Jackson and seven Chicago White Sox teammates were banned in 1921 for allegedly conspiring to throw the 1919 World Series. Rose died in September 2024 at age 83; Jackson passed away in 1951. “In my view, once an individual has passed away, the purposes of Rule 21 have been served,” Manfred said, adding that a deceased person “cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game.”

The Hall of Fame said the reinstated players will be eligible for the Classic Baseball Era Committee ballot that will be set in December 2027. Election by that 16-member panel requires at least 12 votes. Black Sox pitchers Eddie Cicotte and Lefty Williams and former Philadelphia Phillies owner William Cox are among those also reinstated, bringing the total number of posthumously rehabilitated figures to 17.

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