Lawsuit: Pete Rose allegedly had sexual relationship with underage girl

CINCINNATI (WKRC) - Shocking new allegations have been made against former Reds great Pete Rose. In court filings, a woman now claims she had an ongoing sexual relationship with Rose that started when she was 14 or 15.

The allegations are all part of a defamation suit filed by Pete Rose last year against John Dowd. This all started when Dowd, the man hired by baseball in 1989 to investigate Rose, made a startling statement during a radio interview two years ago.

Here's the statement Dowd made when asked if he thought Pete Rose was a decent guy: "Michael Bertolini told us that he not only ran bets but he ran young girls for him down to spring training, ages 12 to 14, isn't that lovely? So that's statutory rape every time you do that."

In the court filing on July 31, Dowd provided a sworn statement from a woman who claims she met rose in 1973 when she was 14 or 15 and started a sexual relationship that lasted several years. Rose, in court filings acknowledges he had a sexual relationship with the woman but not until she was 16 years old. That's the legal age of consent in Ohio.

In a statement Monday, Rose attorney Martin Garbus said, "That statement is false. They are trying to avoid the trial on libel. We are going to trial next year and Pete's going to recover."

Another of Pete's attorneys, Ray Genco, said the statement filed with the court Monday is false and just a distraction. It does not speak directly to the allegations of 12-14 year old girls at spring training. He says it is only dragging Pete Rose further into the mud.