But Rose does not deny that he had sex with the woman in question at the time in question. He merely says he thought she was 16. Were he facing criminal charges, that would not be a defense. Morally it's also not the greatest defense. His admission, more than her testimony, is what has changed things (since this was not otherwise new information).
I recognize and accept that he was the people's choice based on his personality and play, and despite his character issues. I'm pretty much okay with that. But I think this sends a worse message. Nobody is taking away any honors from OJ Simpson, but they also wouldn't have a ceremony for him two weeks after his trial (which of course, did not convict him of anything).
And while he was the people's choice, the selection was actually made by a committee, with the fan voting only determining the five finalists. The message this sends for me now is that "sexual predator" was just part and parcel of being a lovable scamp in baseball's 70s, along with drinking and drug use and gambling. Which is of course, basically true. It's why Mike Schmidt and many others will be standing there with Pete at the ceremony hugging him. But this crosses line a for me that was already crossed for VFK and julio, and it should really cross a line for the Phillies as civic organization. Of course it likely won't; it's probably safe to say that the country would be split 50-50 on such an issue.