Fox dumping Rose as TV analyst: report

Disgraced MLB hit WASHINGTON king Pete Rose was something of a surprise addition to Fox Sports’ MLB studio show back in 2015, and while he was seen as a little rough around the edges, he generally garnered favourable reviews for his candid, crusty takes on modernera baseball.

In March, the network announced Rose would be back for another season in 2017.

But Rose’s run as a TV analyst is apparently over: According to a report Thursday in the Hollywood Reporter, he won’t return to Fox Sports’ MLB playoff coverage after allegations surfaced he had a sexual relationship with an underage girl in the 1970s.

Fox Sports declined to comment. The claim came to light in a defamation lawsuit brought by Rose against John Dowd, the attorney who oversaw MLB’s investigation into Rose’s gambling that resulted in his banishment from the game in 1989.

In radio interviews last year, Dowd claimed a sports memorabilia dealer who handled Rose’s bets on baseball games also brought underage girls to spring training for Rose’s “satisfaction.” Rose denied the allegation and sued Dowd in July, but Dowd’s attorneys countered by filing a sworn statement from an unnamed woman who alleged Rose had a sexual relationship with her that started before she turned 16, the age of consent in Ohio (where they both lived).

Rose, who was in his 30s and married with two children at the time, admitted to having a relationship with the woman, but said she was 16.

A number of high-profile Fox television personalities have been accused of inappropriate behaviour by female colleagues in recent months. The company recently suspended Fox News Channel host Eric Bolling, and Fox Sports fired its president, Jamie Horowitz, in July (both deny the allegations).