'There's no wedge': Derek Jeter addresses rumors about long-standing feud with Alex Rodriguez
Baseball legend Derek Jeter has recently revealed that there are no issues between him and Alex Rodriguez. He confidently denied the rumors about his long-running feud with fellow Yankees star Alex Rodriguez. "No, there is no wedge. Everything's good," he told Good Day New York on Thursday, July 28, 2022.
For decades, there have been rumors about the rivalry between the former New York Yankees players. But, as it turns out, Jeter was simply more concentrated on playing baseball than on any other form of mind game at the moment. “I talked about things one time and that was the end of it,” Jeter said.
READ MORE
'NOT a true friend': Derek Jeter reveals why he LOST HIS TRUST in Alex Rodriguez
'We had a great time': Alex Rodriguez is ALL PRAISE for Jennifer Lopez after breakup
While promoting his new ESPN docuseries 'The Captain', Jeter, 48, said that he and his former teammate, 47, are on good terms. He added, “I know people to this day, when I go places, that’s one of the first things that they ask me about, but there are no issues between Alex and I at all.”
What is the feud between Jeter and A-Rod?
Rumors of a feud between the two players date back to the early 2000s when Rodriguez aka A-Rod criticized Jeter's leadership in a 2001 Esquire interview. Jeter had once revealed that he "lost trust" in Alex Rodriguez.
At a very young age, both Jeter and Rodriguez came up to the major leagues. Jeter was 20 and A-Rod was 18. They became very close as they rose through the ranks in the early 1990s that they would frequently crash at each other's apartments. However, times have changed since then.
According to Jeter, one incident that caused a fracture in their relationship was a 2001 Esquire profile of Rodriguez, in which he said Jeter was "blessed with true talent around him" and "never had to lead," adding, "You never say, 'Don't let Derek beat you.' That's never your concern."
Speaking about it in 'The Captain, Jeter said, "Those comments bothered me because, like I said, I'm very, very loyal. As a friend, I'm loyal. And I just looked at it as, I wouldn't have done it." He continued, "And then it was the media, the constant hammer to the nail, you know what I mean? They just kept hammering it in. It just became noise, which frustrated me. It was just constant noise."
In the documentary, Rodriguez claimed that he eventually apologized for his statements but found himself attacking Jeter's profession in a radio interview with host Dan Patrick. Reportedly, Jeter accepted A-Rod's apology and responded to the comments he made during the interview. "When you talk about statistics, mine never compared to Alex's," Jeter said in the documentary. "I'm not blind. I understand that. But, we won! You can say whatever you want about me as a player. That's fine. But then it goes back to the trust, the loyalty. This is how the guy feels. He's not a true friend, is how I felt. Because I wouldn't do it to a friend," he added.
In July 2021, A-Rod tweeted, "To The Captain Derek Jeter - congratulations on taking your rightful place in the Baseball Hall of Fame where you will be, for eternity, as one of history’s greatest players, at any position, in any era."
To The Captain Derek Jeter - congratulations on taking your rightful place in the Baseball Hall of Fame where you will be, for eternity, as one of history’s greatest players, at any position, in any era. pic.twitter.com/nRJaeT8Vmm
— Alex Rodriguez (@AROD) January 22, 2020
Now, the decades-long dispute appears to be officially over and it seems, that both former All-Stars are now more concerned with their children than anything else. "I'm following my girls around," Jeter said about his three daughters, Bella, 4, Story, 3, and River, 7 months, whom he shares with wife Hannah Jeter. "Right now, I'm really focused on being there for them and assisting them in discovering their passions," he added.
During a July episode of 'The Martha Stewart Podcast', Rodriguez revealed that "life is excellent," adding that he is "extremely lucky" to wake up every morning glad for "my health my lovely girls," whom he refers to as his "best gift."