Pete Rose Answers Viewer Questions

Jan. 9 -- Why did Pete Rose bet on baseball and then lie about it for nearly 15 years? The notorious baseball legend is answering questions from ABCNEWS viewers.

For details on Rose's confession to betting check out:

• Rose's interview with Charlie Gibson on Primetime.

• Read an excerpt from his book.

Question: "Way to go Pete, the truth has set you free. Doesn't it feel good?"

Answer: Well, I'm just glad that everybody doesn't have to go through what I put myself through the past 14 years. And to take that strain and lift if off my shoulders is a great thing. Now I have a job to do, to try and win back the respect of any fans I may have lost through this whole ordeal.

Question: "Why did you deny allegations that you did bet on baseball before and decide now to tell the truth?"

Answer: That was my first and biggest mistake not fessing up in 1990.There's several reasons, I think one reason is you're scared for your family, when our looking at a gentleman [baseball commissioner] to be honest with you, that could give you life or you say 'no' and I just happened to say 'no, no prove it.' ['life' for Rose means a lifetime ban from baseball]

And then the whole investigation went down and here we are in 2004, it just seems that time flew by — but you're absolutely right that I shouldn't have denied it in 1989 but because of the lying situation you kind of stick to you guns. And even that, you realize that you're wrong. I never had a passion to tell the person I needed to tell that I was wrong, that being the commissioner of baseball.