Pete Rose "will not continue" in his role as an MLB studio analyst for Fox, where he was "slated to return to the desk as part of its coverage of postseason games," according to sources cited by Goldberg & Guthrie of the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. The news follows "recent allegations that Rose had a sexual relationship with an underage girl" in the '70s. Fox announced in March that Rose was "set to return to cover MLB for the network" this season (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 8/31). SI.com's Richard Deitsch wrote the optics of keeping Rose on-air in the climate of the "negative publicity surrounding Fox News, Fox Business Network and Fox Sports from sexual harassment complaints signaled that this decision was coming." Rose had been an "unexpected surprise as a postseason MLB studio analyst for Fox." Partnered with Alex Rodriguez, Frank Thomas and host Kevin Burkhardt, Rose "found his voice as part-baseball geek, part-crazy grandpa, and a full-time polarizing figure." The mixing of Rodriguez and Rose "created authenticity in the studio and the free form of the show gave Fox its closest studio equivalent to TNT’s Inside The NBA and ESPN’s College GameDay" (SI.com, 8/31).
