Did Giamatti break the agreement?
At the press conference announcing the agreement, the Commissioner was asked if he believed that Rose bet on baseball. Giamatti said that in the absence of a hearing, and therefore in the absence of any evidence to the contrary, he had to conclude that Rose did bet on baseball. Giamatti was unable to clarify or expand on his comments, because he died of a heart attack eight days later, without making any additional public comments. Some people believe that Giamatti was just expressing his personal opinion. Many believe that he should not have expressed any opinion, since the agreement stated that there would be no ruling. A few people believe that Giamatti’s statement should invalidate the agreement. In his 2002 book, Fay Vincent said that it had been made clear to Rose and his advisers that Giamatti would make this response if asked whether he thought Rose bet on baseball. Vincent says that Rose’s profession of shock at the statement was a calculated plan to elicit public support from
