Reggie Jackson does not have an opinion on Alex Rodriguez’s current battle with baseball, or at least one he’s willing to share.
The Yankees great clammed up in a WFAN interview when asked about Rodriguez, who is in the midst of arbitration in his appeal to have his 211-game MLB suspension reduced. Host Craig Carton peppered Jackson with questions about the controversial slugger, and Jackson stayed silent on the subject for nearly three minutes.
“I’m so proud of myself that I didn’t say a word,” Jackson, who was promoting his new book “Becoming Mr. October”, said at the end of the questioning.
The last time Jackson said something negative about A-Rod was in 2012.
“Al’s a very good friend,” Jackson told Sports Illustrated. “But I think there are real questions about his numbers. As much as I like him, what he admitted about his usage does cloud some of his records.”
Jackson, who was a special adviser for the Yankees at the time, was banned briefly from team activities. It’s unknown what stress it put on his friendship with Rodriguez, and that was one of the questions he sidestepped Wednesday morning.
Rodriguez’s suspension stems from allegations of performance-enhancing drug use and a connection to Biogenesis.