‘First and Foremost, You Cheat Yourself’- When NY Yankees Phenom Derek Jeter Sounded Off on Alex Rodriguez’s 3-Year PED Usage

Alex ‘A-Rod’ Rodriguez enjoyed a successful career in Major League Baseball. He was one of the finest hitters during his playing days. Even after winning everything, A-Rod’s baseball career will always have a dark side. And that is something he will always regret. Even the former Yankees captain Derek Jeter was not glad about A-Rod’s connection with PEDs.

Notably, A-Rod and Jeter have played together for over a decade for the New York Yankees. They remained good friends for a long time. But this steroid episode shook Derek Jeter from the core, as he was the captain of the team at that time.

Notably, A-Rod had consumed banned substances during the early days of his baseball career. The former Yankee confessed that while playing for the Texas Rangers, he took PEDs (performance-enhancing drugs). A-Rod confirmed this in an exclusive interview with ESPN. Apart from A-Rod, Jeter was the most devastated by this news.

Derek Jeter stood for MLB players when it mattered the most

Known for his leadership, Derek Jeter once again proved why every MLB player looked up to him. When the A-Rod and PEDs saga happened, almost every MLB player’s dignity was in question. But the then-Yankees captain stood for every player and took a stand when it mattered the most.

While addressing the press, he backed his Yankee teammate, Alex Rodriguez, but Jeter also defended the rest of the MLB players.

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“I mean he made a mistake… He is trying to get past that mistake and as teammates, we are going to help him out… Our job is to try to support him as he tries to get back on the field… People always ask questions, “do you feel as though somebody cheated?” First and foremost, you cheat yourself. And I think that’s the message that needs to be out there,” Jeter said in 2009.

“You hear about people saying this is a steroid era. There are a few players in this era taking steroids. But it was not a steroid era… I mean how many people are in major league 1200? And you got 1100 people that have not done it (steroids),” Jeter added.

A-Rod faced a two-year ban in MLB

After proving guilty in the PEDs case, Alex Rodriguez faced a two-year suspension from Major League Baseball. What troubles everyone the most is that he faced suspension in his prime. Had A-Rod played those two years, he would have been in the same company as Derek Jeter, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, and a few other Yankees legends.

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But it is a pity that he missed his two prime years because of a mistake he did a decade ago. What is your opinion on this whole A-Rod saga? Do you think he received a bit of harsh punishment?