Pete Rose defamation lawsuit dismissed

A defamation lawsuit filed by Pete Rose last year against the lawyer who got him kicked out of baseball was dismissed Friday, federal court documents show.

Rose said in the lawsuit that John Dowd damaged his reputation and endorsement deals during a July 2015 interview on an AM radio station in Pennsylvania where he accused Rose of “statutory rape.” Rose’s lawyers said he “never did any such thing.”

On Friday, lawyers for both sides said the parties had reached an agreement.

“Pete Rose and John Dowd have agreed, based on mutual consideration, to the dismissal with prejudice of Mr. Rose’s lawsuit against Mr. Dowd. I am not permitted to comment further regarding the resolution of the matter,” Dowd’s lawyer, David C. Tobin, said in an emailed statement.

Rose’s lawyer, Martin Garbus, said by phone Friday he could not comment further.

The lawsuit stated Dowd said during the radio appearance on WCHE-AM in West Chester that Rose associate Michael Bertolini told investigators he “ran young girls” to Rose during spring training, which Dowd called “statutory rape every time.” Bertolini’s lawyers issued a categorical denial.

Sports broadcasting

FORMER WORKER ASSERTS ESPN A SEXUALLY HOSTILE WORK ENVIRONMENT » A former ESPN personality is accusing the network of trying to silence her and other women who assert they were subjected to a sexually hostile work environment.

Adrienne Lawrence made the accusation in a tweet Friday after ESPN published a friendly text message exchange between her and an anchor she had accused of misconduct.

Lawrence, who served a fellowship at ESPN, filed a complaint this summer with the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities.

She alleges, among other things, that she was not offered a permanent job at ESPN after complaining that anchor John Buccigross had sent her unsolicited shirtless photos and used inappropriate nicknames for her.

Those accusations and others were detailed Thursday by the Boston Globe. Buccigross said in a statement to the newspaper that he considered her a friend and was sorry if he offended her.

The network says it investigated Lawrence’s complaints and found them without merit.