14. Pete Rose banned from baseball
There is no doubt that Pete Rose is one of the greatest players in baseball history.
He finished his 24-year career as the all-time MLB leader in hits, a record that still stands today. Along the way, he picked up a Rookie of the Year Award, the 1973 National League MVP and was named an All-Star 17 times. He was also a part of the 1976 Cincinnati Reds World Series Championship team.
Rose would go on to manage the Reds following his illustrious playing career, where his affinity for gambling would land him in serious trouble with the league.
It is no secret that he loved to gamble, but once rumors emerged that he was betting on baseball, a hefty punishment was certain to be on the way. On August 24, 1989, the MLB’s all-time hits leader was banned from baseball for life.
Per ESPN:
"“One of the game’s greatest players has engaged in a variety of acts which have stained the game, and he must now live with the consequences of those acts,” MLB commissioner Bart Giamatti said to a stunned room full of reporters."
While still banned permanently from baseball, Rose was granted a temporary exception to attend the 2015 MLB All-Star Game in Cincinnati, where the fans voted him to be honored as a member of the Reds’ “Franchise Four”.
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