The former captain of the New York Yankees revealed details of his difficult relationship with the former player of Dominican descent, as part of the ESPN documentary “The Captain”.
For several days, a small video in which you can see and listen to Derek Jeter talking about some topics has gone viral on social networks. The footage belongs to the documentary “The Captain” of ESPNwhich will be out at the end of July. In it, the former player of New York Yankees will touch on various topics about his professional career and personal life, but, at least for now, the quotes about his relationship with Alex Rodriguez are the highlights of the trailer presented on video.
The quote that has attracted the most attention on social networks, especially in Dominican Republicis where Jeter indicates that Alex Rodriguez “not a true friend”.
The two players are known to have shared a deep friendship for several years, but in an Esquire magazine interview from 2001, years before “A-Rod” became a companion of Jeter in the Yankeesthe relationship began to fragment.
At that time, Rodríguez pointed out Jeter: “is reserved (Jeter), reserved. Jeter has been blessed with great talent around him, so he has never had to lead. He doesn’t have to do it, he just has to go out and play and have fun and hit second. I mean, you know, hitting second is completely different than hitting third or fourth in a lineup, because you go to New York trying to stop Bernie. (Williams) Already (Paul) O’Neill and everyone, but you never say ‘don’t let Jeter beat you’, that’s never your concern”.
After more than two decades, those words seem not to have been forgotten by Jeterwho, in the audiovisual, gave part of his version of the events, regarding that interview.
“Those comments bothered me because, like I said, I’m very, very loyal. As a friend, I am loyal. I just saw it as ‘I wouldn’t have done it’ (Rodriguez’s comment) and then it was in the middle, the constant hammer on the nail. They just kept hammering away at it (the media). It turned into noise, which frustrated me. just constant noise“.
Rodríguez tried to apologize, although he would later give similar statements in another interview, indicating that there was nothing Jeter did better than him, which, the former captain saw as a comment that threw his work to the ground along with the Yankees.
“In my mind, he got his contract and is trying to bring down what I was doing, maybe to justify why he got paid. When you talk about stats, mine were never compared to Alex’s. I am not blind. I get that, but WE WIN! You can say what you want about me as a player. That’s fine“, said Jeter.
“But then it all comes back to trust, to loyalty. That’s how this guy feels. He’s not a true friend, that’s how I felt, because I wouldn’t do that to a friend.”, closed the shortstop.