Pete Rose drops defamation lawsuit against rape accuser John Dowd

A defamation lawsuit filed by former major-league player Pete Rose against John Dowd was dismissed Friday after the two parties reached a mutual agreement to end the case, William Weinbaum of ESPN reports.

Dowd, the former MLB counsel who led the probe that resulted in Rose being banished from baseball, accused the all-time hits king of committing statutory rape during a radio appearance in 2015.

Dowd told WCHE-AM in Pennsylvania that an associate of Rose's "told us that not only did he run bets, but he ran young girls for him down in spring training, ages 12 to 14 ... so that's statutory rape every time you do that."

After Rose denied the allegations, he filed the suit against Dowd last year.

Dowd's defense filed a statement from an unidentified woman who alleged she had a sexual relationship with Rose in the 1970s before she turned 16.

Rose acknowledged the relationship between him and the woman, although he said he believed it began when she was 16 years old in 1975. He was later relieved of his duties as a FOX Sports analyst and the Philadelphia Phillies canceled plans to honor him at their Alumni Weekend this past August.

The 76-year-old Rose retired from baseball in 1986 following 24 seasons. He batted a lifetime .303/.375/.409 and is the owner of 4,256 big-league hits, the all-time record.