“Gave Me Some Tough Love”: Alex Rodriguez Revisits His Public Relationship With Stephen A. Smith During Yankees Tenure

Stephen A. Smith has recently seen himself drawing the ire of baseball fans. From his comments on Shohei Ohtani to his frustrations with Mike Trout’s constant injuries, the fans haven’t received some of Smith’s takes well. However, despite all of that he shares a great relationship with Alex Rodriguez. The deep mutual respect that they have for each other was visible during their recent interview. 

Smith was the latest guest in Alex Rodriguez’s The Deal. While talking about the sports analyst’s rapid rise, the discussion shifted to the relationship between the duo. Smith’s New York Yankees fandom made connecting easier for them. However, it wasn’t the on-field personality of Rodriguez that affected Smith, it was his overall character. 

“I always considered him a good, good, a good dude,” Stephen A. Smith said. “Somebody that would get in front of the camera, talk to people, was personable, very relatable, tried to be fair-minded and whatever, and was just an outstanding, great player.” However, Smith also noted that outside of the field, A-Rod was a good person, someone he wanted to be friends with. That led to their relationship blossoming into one based on mutual support and sometimes tough love.

In 2014, the league suspended Alex Rodriguez due to his PED use. That was perhaps the worst time in the Yankees star’s career – fans turned on him and his legacy was tainted. During this time, he went to Stephen A. Smith for advice. “He was critical about me. So once I talked to him, I asked for his advice,” Rodriguez said. “And one thing about Stephen A, if you don’t wanna hear the truth, don’t ask for his advice. And he gave me some tough love. That kind of started what I call a very, very good relationship.” 

Their way of talking to each other showed the deep mutual respect shared between the two. However, what really sealed their relationship was their similar beginnings in their respective fields.

How Alex Rodriguez and Stephen A. Smith related to each other

While A-Rod suffered through his struggles, Smith too had to face some tough times. The popular analyst rebuilt himself after his firing from ESPN. “He had his downtime when ESPN let you go and you came back, I had my downturn on my suspension in the last decade for both of us has been a lot better,” A-Rod said.

That made them relate to each other. “We come from the bottom. We don’t forget where we came from,” Rodriguez noted. There’s a lot of correlation between their stories. Though A-Rod was a superstar from the moment he stepped up in the draft, his struggles weren’t small by any means. The weight of expectations on his shoulders was immense but the star somehow managed to meet or even exceed those expectations. 

So while Stephen A. Smith might currently be a big controversial figure in baseball circles, at least for Alex Rodriguez, he’s still a good ol’ friend.