Pete Rose Accused Of Statutory Rape By John Dowd, Former MLB Investigator
By Ty Duffy
John Dowd, the special counsel who led the MLB investigation that got Pete Rose banned from baseball, accused Rose of statutory rape of 12-14 year-old girls in a July 13 radio interview. Dowd claims Michael Bertolini, Rose’s gambling runner, told him he used to run girls for Rose during Spring Training.
"“Ah, no. I don’t. I’ve been asked that question whether he had any moral bearings at all and the answer is no. There’s a lot of other activity. … Michael Bertolini told us that not only did he run bets, but he ran young girls for him down in spring training. Ages 12-14. Isn’t that lovely? So that’s statutory rape every time you do that. So he’s just not the kind of person that I find very attractive. He’s a street guy."
Rose denied the allegation to NJ.com.
"“Oh, my God!” the 73-year-old Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies great said while driving from California to Las Vegas. “Where was my family all of this time in spring training? I never went to spring training without my family except for first year when I was a rookie. It’s shocking. “What level are they going to reach to next? What’s Dowd going to talk about next? Something from 50 years ago when I was 24 years old? I don’t know why anybody would believe that. It’s unbelievable. That’s the best one so far.”"
Dowd has been in the news of late. He hung up on Chris Russo during an argument about Rose in June, following an Outside The Lines report that Rose had bet on baseball as a player. He has also been critical of the NFL’s DeflateGate Investigation.
[Photo via USAT]