Page 21 - ARUBA TODAY

A21
SPORTS Wednesday 2 august 2017

Woman says she had teen sexual relationship with Pete Rose

By KRISTEN DE GROOT distraction,” Genco said. said he couldn’t comment
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A “It tips me off that (Dowd) on the latest filing.
woman said she had a sex- really can’t defend him- Rose, who lives in Las Ve-
ual relationship with Pete self.” gas, had applied for rein-
Rose in the 1970s, start- The attorney also accused statement to the game in
ing when she was 14 or 15 Dowd of dragging “Pete’s 2015. Not long after, Dowd
years old, according to her name through the mud.” was asked on WCHE-AM
sworn testimony submitted Rose alleges in the lawsuit whether he found Rose to
to a court Monday. that Dowd damaged his be a likable person.
The testimony was present- reputation and endorse- “Michael Bertolini, you
ed by the defense as part of ment deals during a July know, told us that he not
a federal lawsuit Rose filed 2015 interview on WCHE- only ran bets but he ran
last year in Philadelphia AM radio in West Chester. young girls for him down
against a lawyer whose in- Dowd investigated Rose in at spring training, ages 12
vestigation got baseball’s 1989 for gambling on the to 14,” Dowd responded.
all-time hits leader kicked Cincinnati Reds while man- “Isn’t that lovely? So that’s
out of Major League Base- aging the team, a violation statutory rape every time
ball for gambling. of baseball’s rules. Rose ac- you do that.”
Rose contends John Dowd cepted a lifetime ban, and In this Dec. 15, 2015, file photo, former baseball player and man- Genco said Rose knew
ager Pete Rose speaks during a news conference in Las Vegas.
defamed him in 2015 by the Hall of Fame decided Associated Press what he was getting into
saying on the radio that the in 1991 that anyone on the when he filed the defama-
former baseball great had permanently ineligible list lini’s lawyers have denied Rose acknowledged in a tion lawsuit. “He decided
raped young teen girls dur- could not appear on a Hall that. statement accompanying to take a stand against
ing spring training. Rose, 76, ballot. The woman, identified as Monday’s filing that he did these heinous allegations,”
has acknowledged hav- Dowd said during the radio Jane Doe in Monday’s fil- have a relationship with he said. “We filed a win-
ing a relationship with the appearance that Rose as- ing, said Rose called her in the woman, but he said it ning case and it’s going to
woman beginning when sociate Michael Bertolini 1973, when she was 14 or started when she was 16. remain like that.”
she was 16, the age of con- told investigators he “ran 15, and they began a sexu- He also states they never Dowd, 76, is an experi-
sent in Ohio. young girls” to Rose dur- al relationship in Cincinnati had sex outside Ohio. enced Washington at-
Rose’s lawyer Ray Genco ing spring training, which that lasted several years. At the time, Rose was in his torney who is currently on
said the woman’s claims Dowd called “statutory She also alleges Rose met mid-30s and was married President Donald Trump’s
are unverified. rape every time,” accord- her in locations outside with two kids. legal team in the Russia
“At this point it’s just a big ing to Rose’s lawsuit. Berto- Ohio for sex. Dowd’s lawyer David Tobin investigation.q

Sharapova wins first WTA

match in U.S. since 2015

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — “I feel like I just want to hug Top-seeded and reign-
Maria Sharapova played everyone and say thank ing Wimbledon champion
her first WTA match in the you,” Sharapova said in an Garbine Muguruza will
United States since 2015 on-court interview. “It’s my play 17-year-old American
and beat Jennifer Brady first match in the States in a Kayla Day, a 6-4, 6-2 win-
6-1, 4-6, 6-0 on Monday really long time, and it’s the ner over Japanese vet-
night in the opening round closest thing to home for eran Misaki Doi. Ana Kon-
of the Bank of the West me.” Sharapova served a juh, the No. 5 seed from
Classic. Sharapova, a 15-month ban after testing Croatia, won 6-3, 1-0 after
wild-card entrant and five- positive for a newly banned New Zealand qualifier Ma-
time Grand Slam cham- drug at the 2016 Australian rina Erakovic retired from
pion, won the opening four Open. She returned in April the match with an injury. In this May 8, 2017, file photo, Maria Sharapova hits a return to
games of the match, lost and played in three tourna- Seventh-seeded Lesia Tsu- Eugenie Bouchard, of Canada, during a Madrid Open tennis
the first three of the second ments, but missed Wimble- renko beat Spain’s Lara Ar- tournament match in Madrid, Spain.
set and cruised in the third. don because of an injury. ruabarrena 6-3, 6-3.q Associated Press