Pete Rose sued John Dowd, the former special counsel to the commissioner of baseball whose investigation led to Rose's lifetime ban, last year after Dowd on a radio show accused Rose of statutory rape. Documents recently filed by Dowd in defense against Rose's lawsuit contain a sworn allegation of statutory rape, reports William Weinbaum of ESPN. Weinbaum writes that the statement alleges:
"... that Rose had a sexual relationship with the woman for several years in the 1970s, beginning before she turned 16.
In the majority of states, including Ohio -- where both the woman and Rose lived at the time -- the age of legal consent is 16, so her allegation amounts to statutory rape."
Rose acknowledged a sexual relationship with the woman in court documents and stated that he believed she was 16 at the time. He was 34 years old then and married with two children. Dowd has previously alleged that Rose committed statutory rape during spring training in Florida, where the age of consent was 18.
Rose remains on baseball's permanently ineligible list. Commissioner Rob Manfred denied an appeal for reinstatement in 2015. Rose is currently employed by Fox as a studio baseball analyst.
