Major League Baseball officials have fined Florida Marlins pitcher Jarred Cosart (pictured) an undisclosed sum for betting on sports.
Cosart was revealed to be the subject of an MLB betting investigation late last month after the 24-year-old Cosart exchanged direct messages via Twitter with self-described gambling expert @ghostfadekillah a few weeks ago. Cosart’s messages claimed the Marlins starter had “bet LARGE” on an unidentified sporting event and “hammered” an under wager.
On Friday, MLB issued a statement saying its probe into the matter “did not reveal any evidence to suggest that Cosart, who fully cooperated with the investigation, bet on baseball.” Nonetheless, Cosart has been fined an undisclosed amount for violating MLB’s Rule 21(d)(3), which prohibits players from “placing bets with illegal bookmakers, or agents for illegal bookmakers.” The particular sport on which Cosart placed his wagers wasn’t specified.
Cosart issued his own statement saying he had “never, nor would I ever, bet on the great game of baseball.” Cosart apologized for “any distractions this may have caused the Marlins, my teammates, coaches and our incredible fans.” Cosart said he was “glad to bring closure to this situation” before the 2015 MLB season officially kicks off on Sunday.
Cosart’s transgressions were especially awkward for MLB given the ongoing push to pardon former baseball great Pete Rose, who was hit with a lifetime ban from baseball in 1989 after it was revealed he’d bet on baseball games while manager of the Cincinnati Reds. Rose, who had 4,256 hits in his storied baseball career, has applied for reinstatement so that he can once again be considered induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Current MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred recently stated that Rose’s reinstatement bid “deserves a fair, full hearing.”
