Pete Rose reportedly out at Fox after sexual misconduct allegation

Pete Rose’s time as a Fox Sports analyst appears to have come to a close. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rose will not appear as part of Fox’s postseason baseball coverage amid allegations that he had a sexual relationship with an underage woman in the 1970s.

A woman publicly referred to as Jane Doe has claimed Rose had sex with her when she was 14 or 15 (under the age of consent in Ohio, where they both lived) and he was in his 30s. Rose has acknowledged having a relationship with the woman over several years but has said he thought she was 16 when it began.

Rose will not face criminal charges for his relationship with Doe, as the statute of limitations has expired.

Bizarrely, these allegations came to light thanks to Rose’s own defamation lawsuit against prosecutor John Dowd, who produced the report that got him banned from baseball back in 1989. Rose sued Dowd last year after Dowd claimed on the radio that Rose used to have sex with young women during Spring Training. Dowd brought Doe as part of his defense.

Fox Sports might have been especially sensitive to sexual misconduct allegations given the issues with sexual harassment at its parent company.

Sports Illustrated’s Michael McCann had cautioned that Fox could fire Rose thanks to a “morals clause” in his contract.

Pete Rose's TV contract likely contains "morals clause" language that could be invoked to end deal on grounds of statutory rape allegation. https://t.co/vWugAhipHK

— Michael McCann (@McCannSportsLaw) August 2, 2017

Rose was somewhat of a breakout broadcasting star last fall, cracking jokes alongside Alex Rodriguez, Frank Thomas and Kevin Burkhardt on Fox’s postseason studio show. Fox had planned to bring him back this October in a similar role.

Fox has not publicly announced its split with Rose nor any contingency plans for its postseason coverage.

[The Hollywood Reporter]