Pete Could’ve Earned $100 Million More Without MLB Ban and Career Ending Gambling Accusations

One of baseball’s most legendary yet equally controversial figures, Pete Rose, recently passed away. Leaving behind a legacy marked by both notable achievements and scandals, Rose was 83. An all-time Major League Baseball hits leader, the prolific sportsman’s career was cut short when he was accused of gambling, landing him a lifetime ban from the sport.

While his financial success was considerable at the time of his ban, there have been estimates that the star baseball player could have earned a lot more if he had not been banned from a game he dominated. From his net worth to his fall from grace, here is a look at his life.

Pete Rose’s Net Worth Earning

Pete Rose or Peter Edward Rose Sr, also known by his nickname Charlie Hustle was an American professional baseball player as well as a manager. Having played in the Major League Baseball for numerous teams, Rose was one of the most prolific players the sport ever witnessed, yet his grandeur was marred by controversy and scandals.

As per Celebrity Net Worth, the star baseball player’s net worth at the time of his death was $3 million. Also known as the Big Red Machine, he was known to have signed a huge $3.2 million contract as a free agent with the Philadelphia Phillies. While as a player and later as a manager, his career prospered, leading him to earn over $7.1 million in salaries alone.

One of his highest earnings came in 1986 when the Cincinnati Reds gave him $1 million for managing the team. But this was not his only earning, for the baseball star also earned a record $100,000 monthly from signing autographs.

Furthermore, what is shocking is that as per the book Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose and the Last Glory Days of Baseballby Kieth O’Brien, Rose himself revealed that his ‘banishment’ had cost him around $100 million since 1990, earnings he could have made from his management job as well as sponsorship deals.

A Look at Pete Rose’s Gambling Accusations

Pete Rose’s brilliant baseball career, his legacy as a player and as a manager, all came undone in August 1989, when he was banned from the sport for life for gambling and excluded from the Hall of Fame. Not only did the once-star baseball player gambled on MLB games but he also gambled on Cincinnati Reds games.

As per the Dowd Report (via USA Today), MLB obtained a record of Rose’s gambling activity, which allegedly included several evidences and records of him having gambled on Reds’ games in 1985, 1986, and 1987. After nearly 14 years of denying gambling , Rose acknowledged his betting addiction in his autobiography, My Prison Without Bars.

Despite being banned, Pete Rose’s estranged wife and his ex-wife both alleged that the former baseball player continued to wager money in gambling, owing large sums to casinos and more. Furthermore, after being banned from the sport, he spent five months in prison against federal charges of tax evasion, one of his lowest-ever points in life.

Why Pete Rose was Banned from the MLB

An all-time record player and MLB leader, Pete Rose’s achievements in the game were no small feats, At the height of his game, he won three World Series, had an all-time hits record in MLB at 4,256 hits, won an MVP , Rookie of the Year, and two Golden Gloves awards. Yet, his association with the game abruptly ended when he was caught gambling as a manager.

While he landed a lifetime ban from the sport by MLB and was expelled from the Hall of Fame, Rose tried to petition for a reinstatement, which was denied multiple times (via USA Today). Later on in his autobiography, My Prison Without Barshe acknowledged his alleged faults but stated,

I’m sure that I’m supposed to act all sorry or sad or guilty now that I’ve accepted that I’ve done something wrong. But you see, I’m just not built that way. Sure, there’s probably some real emotion buried somewhere deep inside. And maybe I’d be a better person if I let that side of my personality come out… I’m sorry it happened, and I’m sorry for all the people, fans and family that it hurt. Let’s move on.

And now, after all this time Pete Rose remains the leader in games, having one of the best records and stats of all time. Having passed away at the age of 83, with no cause yet revealed, his life will forever be an amalgamation of the highest of highs and lowest of lows, with his great feats in baseball coexisting with his gambling and betting addiction.