Derek Jeter Finally Addresses His Longtime ‘Gift Basket’ Rumor

In his 20 years as the face of the franchise, Derek Jeter returned the Yankees to baseball supremacy and was among the most famous people in New York. But with all that Big Apple attention came scrutiny, not the least of which was focused on the Yankees captain’s love life. On Tuesday, Jeter finally addressed one of the more saucy rumors that has followed him for the better part of the past decade.

Ahead of the release of an ESPN docuseries on his life and career called The Captain, Jeter cleared the air on the rumor that he would bestow upon his one-night stands a gift basket the morning after they spent the night at his apartment. That bit of gossip came from a 2011 story in the New York Post that claimed Jeter made a habit of “coldly sending them home alone with gift baskets of autographed memorabilia.”

Typically reticent to discuss his private life, Jeter finally acknowledged this particular tidbit, brushing it aside as nothing more than tabloid fodder.

“Yeah, I read the article. Yeah, of course,” Jeter said, per the Daily Beast. “You know, you see it, and then it’s like, how the f--- did people come up with this? You know, basically, that’s it. And who would believe this s---? And you believed it!”

For as much attention as the story received at the time, it’s interesting that Jeter waited until now to flatly deny the claim. He said fans have even mentioned it to him during chance encounters in public.

“I remember being at a Starbucks one time and there’s some random guy behind me and he says, ‘Hey, I just want to let you know that I’m giving out gift baskets because you did,’” Jeter said. “And I turned around and said, ‘You’re a f------ idiot!’ and the look on his face … like, did he think I was gonna say, ‘Yeah, good job, man!’

“It’s a story that became larger than life. People keep regurgitating this story that never happened. Never happened.”

The first episode of the seven-part series The Captain will premiere on ESPN on July 18.

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