Alex Rodriguez Opens Up About The One Thing That 'Strained' His Relationship With Derek Jeter

Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter have had a famously complicated friendship over the years, and according to A-Rod, it began to crumble after his infamous Esquire interview in 2001.

During an episode of his new HBO series, "Alex vs. ARod," the MLB legend got candid about the comments that led to the breakdown of his friendship with Jeter, implying they were blown out of proportion.

In the HBO docuseries, Rodriguez admitted his Esquire interview truly rocked the boat between him and Jeter, who, at the time, was one of the most talked-about names in the MLB.

"That Esquire article, I thought it was pretty vanilla," Rodriguez said in the episode, according to Us Weekly. "I complimented the whole team, and they took that and ran with it. That put a strain [on] our relationship for years."

In the interview, Rodriguez praised Jeter, calling him his brother and shooting down rumors of a supposed "rivalry."

"But with Derek, I'm his biggest fan and I think it's vice versa," he said.

However, Rodriguez's interview with Esquire writer Scott Raab took a sharp turn, leading the pro athlete to make comments that many believed were overly critical.

"Jeter’s been blessed with great talent around him," he said. "He's never had to lead. He can just go and play and have fun. He hits second – that's totally different than third or fourth in a lineup."

Rodriguez, a 14-time MLB All-Star, didn't stop there. "I mean, you know, hitting second is totally different than hitting third or fourth in a lineup because you go into New York trying to stop Bernie [Williams] and [Paul] O’Neill and everybody. You never say, ‘Don’t let Derek beat you.’ That’s never your concern," he added.

Jeter, a 5-time World Series Champion, addressed Rodriguez's comments years later in an interview for "The Captain," per PEOPLE, expressing hurt over his peer's choice of words.

"As a friend, I'm loyal," Jeter said in 2022. "I just looked at it as, 'I wouldn't have done it.' And then it was the media. The constant hammer to the nail. They just kept hammering it in. It just became noise, which frustrated me. Just constant noise."

Jeter had more to say, explaining that Rodriguez's comments cut deep because of the "trust ... [and] loyalty" he placed in him. "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.

Rodriguez later admitted he called Jeter to apologize for how his story unfolded in the media; however, he said he stood by his words.

"The way it was written, I absolutely said exactly what I said. It was a comment that I stand behind today. It was a complete tsunami. It was one of the greatest teams ever. To say that you don't have to focus on just one player is totally fair," he said.

So, where do the two stand today?

While they may not ever be the best of friends again, they appear to be in a good space, working alongside each other as analysts for Fox Sports, covering some of the biggest sporting events worldwide, including the World Series.

Another reason Rodriguez has been in the headlines this week is for his stance on sports gambling.

During an earlier interview, covered by The Blast, Rodriguez implied that gambling scandals in major sports leagues are nothing out of the ordinary.

"I think baseball was created around 1876 or something. You may want to fact check on that, but it is right around there," he said. "And the first gambling scandal was a year later, in 1877. So sports betting has been around a minute."

"Here's what I will say — through technology and AI, something that you could have investigated over five years or decade, now we can figure and track in a matter of hours," he added, later calling the advanced technology sportsbook have today "good news."

"We have incredible leadership in baseball, football and the NBA, and I'm sure we'll get it right," he finished.

Rodriguez's comments about gambling come days after two Cleveland Guardians players were arrested and indicted on several fraud charges stemming from an alleged gambling ring that profited over $400,000 across betting platforms on rigged pitches.

According to a previous report from The Blast, Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase are facing 65 years in prison for wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy.

An unsealed indictment from the United States federal government claims the two athletes worked with "corrupt" gamblers to rig pitches across several MLB games for bribes and kickbacks.

"When corruption infiltrates the sport, it brings disgrace not only to the participants but damages the public trust in an institution that is vital and dear to all of us. Today’s charges make clear that our Office will continue to vigorously prosecute those who corrupt sports through illegal means," U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella said.