Woman Says She Had Sex with Pete Rose Before She Turned 16

An unidentified woman provided a sworn statement alleging she had sex with Pete Rose before turning 16 as part of an ongoing defamation lawsuit the former MLB player filed against John Dowd.

On Monday, Craig Calcaterra of NBC Sports provided details of the statement and noted the alleged act, which occurred in the 1970s, would be considered statutory rape, though the statute of limitations has passed. The report notes Rose "acknowledges" the relationship but said he thought she was 16.

Rose originally filed the suit against Dowd in July 2016.

Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media reported the lawsuit was based on statements the former federal prosecutor, whose probe into Rose's betting on baseball led to his lifetime ban by MLB, made about Rose allegedly having an associate chase down girls “ages 12 to 14” for him during spring training.

The complaint filed on Rose's behalf said the longtime Cincinnati Reds star "seeks judgment in an amount to be determined by a jury at trial, but which amount exceeds the jurisdictional minimum of $75,000 exclusive of interest and costs," per Miller.

Rose played 24 years in the major leagues with the Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos before retiring in 1986. He also had a seven-year stint as the Reds' manager starting in 1984, part of which saw him serve as a player-manager.

Calcaterra pointed out the three-time World Series champion's lawsuit against Dowd has spent the past year in the discovery and preliminary motions stage.