Pete Rose’s life was one of great accomplishment on the playing field, and legacy devastation off. From a public relations standpoint it is worthy of examination and reflection while still being respectful of the human being and his passing.
We have all heard the story before with varying degrees of detail. As a player-manager with the Cincinnati Reds between 1984 and 1987, Pete Rose bet on baseball including on the Reds – he always maintained – to win. He adamantly denied that fact for fully 15-years through his receiving a lifetime ban from baseball in 1989. It is a sad and unfortunate tale and a lesson in how not to follow the basic fundamentals of public relations and crisis communications.
Honesty. Transparency. Admitting guilt. Taking responsibility while demonstrating regret and contrition. Apologizing. Taking corrective action. These are all tenets of necessary adversity management steps those in crisis should take aimed at reputational repair and, hopefully, future redemption. In that respect, Rose could just never get out of his own way.
He finally admitted his guilt in his 2004 book he authored, yet 35 years later the ban remains. Attempts at reconciliation with the league have gone nowhere despite a range of campaigns of support by prominent former players and fans alike. Perception can be reality, and Rose’s openness about continuing to gamble while living in Las Vegas never passed the smell test.
Rose was always able to express and demonstrate his love of baseball but could never seem to dig deep enough to really, truly and convincingly express his regret for what he had done. And his actions spoke even louder than words. In a recent documentary he detailed how he had not been forthcoming with a judge about going to counseling in order to get a lighter sentence for tax evasion. During the steroid era, he often asked, ‘why me and not them?’ during media interviews and appearances – a ‘woe is me’ approach that also did not work.
In the end, Pete Rose’s lack of a moral compass took him too far off course and away from Cooperstown. He revered the game but did not respect it. It is a cautionary tale that underscores a basic rule of baseball: too many strikes and you’re out.