“My Job is Not..”: Derek Jeter Once Showed How Torn His Relationship With Yankees Teammate Alex Rodriguez Was in Unique Fashion

Celebrity friendships are not uncommon to see – two people experiencing the strange world of fame together might naturally become close. But when one’s fame negatively affects the other is when things start to go downhill. Jealousy often leads to a relationship’s crash and burn. Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter are prime examples. No matter what they do now, their once-broken thread of friendship will always have a knot in it.

Much like Drake and Josh, or Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, Jeter and Rodriguez uttered in the same sentence, bring up bad blood. Like little kids who become besties, the once-good friends slept over at each other’s houses whenever the Mariners played the Yankees. But when Rodriguez made some comments about Jeter’s skills, it was all over. Jeter felt such betrayal that he never again stood up for his friend, even when A-Rod could have done with a bit of help.

Derek Jeter refused to support Alex Rodriguez in his time of need

Getting over hurt is not an easy thing, especially when a twist of fate brought Jeter and A-Rod to the same team. Safe to say, the early 2000s were not the best of times for the Yankees.

In 2006, then-Yankees manager Joe Torre had some harsh words to say about A-Rod’s performance. But while his Yankees teammates had something to say, Jeter was nowhere to be seen. “My job as a player is not to tell the fans what to do,” he later said. “My job is not to tell the media what to write about. They’re going to do what they want. They should just let it go. How many times can you ask the same questions?”

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And the reason this was newsworthy is that in the infamous BALCO scandal in 2003, Jeter unquestioningly stood up for teammate Jason Giambi. PEDs are no small matter in MLB and Jeter’s own father is a drug counselor. So despite something that was personal to him, Captain Clutch didn’t leave a fellow Yank floundering. But A-Rod didn’t get the same treatment, despite being closer to Jeter once upon a time.

Did the Jeter-Rodriguez relationship get better over time?

It didn’t. Not in the real sense of friendship. The kind of person who doesn’t trust easily, or forgive easily, Jeter was uncomfortable around A-Rod for the longest time. If one were to look at interviews from even a few years ago, the two seem like they’re tolerating each other’s company for the sake of the camera. Even though tabloids would have one believe the opposite sometimes.

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They say time heals all wounds and the former teammates’ animosity did lessen over the years. Winning a World Series in 2009 may have helped. Fighting for the same side has a way of bringing people together, and Jeter and Rodriguez may have put their differences aside for their beloved team. During their 20s, the world was ripe for their taking. But now that they’re almost 50, Jeter and Rodriguez are at best acquaintances.