Pete Rose appears in ad for sports betting app

After MLB commissioner Rob Manfred emphatically rejected Pete Rose's bid for reinstatement, it appears the all-time hit king could not care less about protecting his image.

In a local Las Vegas ad scheduled to air during Sunday's Super Bowl, Rose appears to help promote the William Hill mobile sports wagering app, which allows gamblers to place bets from a smart phone or tablet computer. That includes on baseball games, which is driven home at the end of the ad, and even while the games are still going on.

[2016 Yahoo Fantasy Baseball is open for business. Sign up now]

Indeed, no reference to Rose's betting on baseball is left unsaid, which is pretty impressive for a 30-second spot.

Starring alongside former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, Rose sits in the dark quietly throughout most of the ad, but he does get to blurt out, "You sure this won't get me in any trouble?"

Nah, you're good, Pete. The dead horse is dead.

To be honest, it's a clever, if not obvious decision to include Rose in such an ad from the William Hill side. Rose's history speaks for itself, and his presence will bring attention to the product ranging far beyond the target audience in Nevada.

William Hill US CEO Joe Asher tells the Las Vegas Review-Journal they didn't have to do much to twist Rose's arm either, so it worked out quite well for them.

"We thought he would be great in the spot," Asher was quoted as saying.

It should really come as no surprise that Rose was so willing. He has an odd sense of humor after all, and at this point there's really nothing left to lose.

[Elsewhere: Smokeless tobacco could be banned at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field]

Well, aside from maybe his Hall of Fame bid, but that would require some changes to the entry policy. As it stands right now, players on the league's permanently ineligible list are ineligible, but Manfred did at least suggest that could be reconsidered.

For it to be reconsidered on Rose's behalf, he'll have to make better decisions than this one. He is a gambling man though, so maybe this one will pay off a little better than the others.

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:

- - - - - - -

Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813