Derek Jeter has joined Fox’s MLB coverage for the upcoming season, but the network was sure to check with the New York Yankees legend’s former teammate before making the big hire.
Fox Sports spokesman Andrew Fegyveresi told Andrew Marchand of the New York Post this week that network executives checked with Alex Rodriguez before bringing Jeter on board.
“Why wouldn’t we reach out?” Fegyveresi said.
Jeter and Rodriguez were teammates with the Yankees for a decade and won a championship together, but they have a complicated history.
The former Yankees captain opened up about the issues between him and Rodriguez in the ESPN docuseries “The Captain,” which was released last summer. Jeter said he never trusted Rodriguez after A-Rod made some questionable remarks about Jeter during a 2001 interview with Esquire. There was a popular debate at the time over which player was the better shortstop, and Rodriguez downplayed Jeter’s accomplishments.
A-Rod and Jeter have had some rocky moments even since they both retired, and we doubt they will become best friends now that they are working together. Still, Fox’s decision to hire Jeter shows the relationship may not be as bad as some think.
More must-reads: