OK, so maybe controversial Cincinnati Reds star Pete Rose didn't endorse Donald Trump for president after all.
"We've got to let Pete Rose into the Hall of Fame," Donald Trump said during a campaign rally in Ohio.
On Sunday, Donald Trump tweeted a photo showing a baseball presumably signed by Rose reading, "make America great again."
We and many other outlets reported that as an endorsement for Trump, but Rose's camp says that's not the case — and it might not even be Rose's signature.
An attorney for Rose said in a statement, "Pete has made a point not to 'endorse' any particular presidential candidate."
He later told The Washington Post, "We do not know how Mr. Trump got the ball. I can't authenticate the ball from some Twitter picture. ... Pete didn't send it. I made that clear."
As FiveThirtyEight points out, Rose is a bit of a prankster when it comes to signing baseballs. He's been known to write things like "I'm sorry I broke up the Beatles" or "I'm sorry I shot JFK."
The bizarre non-endorsement comes shortly before an important 66-delegate, winner-take-all primary in Ohio. Recent polls show a closely contested race between Trump and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
This video includes a clip from CNN and images from Rob Bixby / CC BY 2.0 and Getty Images.
