Derek Jeter recalls times he had to 'bite tongue' amid personal life gossip

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Throughout his entire 20-year career, New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter was largely able to keep his name out of the tabloids — a difficult task for any famous athlete, let alone one in New York.

Jeter was the face of baseball throughout the majority of his career, and it wasn't until earlier this year — nearly eight years after his retirement — did he finally join both Twitter and Instagram.

Fans are now finally able to get a glimpse of Jeter's life at home with his wife, Hannah, and his three daughters.

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Derek Jeter and Hannah Jeter pose for a photo on the red carpet during "The Captain" world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center on Sunday, June 12, 2022 in New York. (Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

During his playing days, though, there was certainly speculation about who he was dating and partying with.

However, he did everything in his power to "limit the distractions" and keep all the focus on the diamond.

"A lot of times you’ve got to bite your tongue on a daily basis," Jeter, now 48, said on "The Eli Manning Show" with the former New York Giants quarterback. "With New York, I always felt as though you want to try to limit the distractions, and if you keep adding to a story, it just becomes a distraction for a long period of time. So, you address something once. I think there’s a lot of times people have stories out there you know are untrue, but if you do address it, then it just continues to go. So, I think, yeah, you have to bite your tongue in those situations."

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Jeter was rumored to give gift baskets to women he had relations with, and he was also ridiculed by then-Yankees owner George Steinbrenner in 2002 for partying late and not being focused on baseball — the two joked about the incident in a Visa commercial a year later. He was the subject of a tax dispute in 2008, and he also drew slight controversy when he did not attend former Yankee Stadium public address announcer Bob Shepard's funeral in 2010.

His friendship-turned-rivalry with Alex Rodriguez (they're cool again, now) also was one of the hottest topics in New York for as long as they were teammates.

Manning jokingly asked the former shortstop if he "missed" Page Six.

"I will never say anything bad about the gossip pages, ever. Just on record, I did not say a bad thing about Page Six or the gossip pages. I love all you guys," Jeter replied. "But, yeah, anytime there’s something about your private life that’s not true, you’ve got to bite your tongue."

Baseball Hall of Famer Derek Jeter speaks to the fans alongside his daughters, Bella, left, and Story, as he is honored by the New York Yankees on Sept. 9, 2022, in New York. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

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Jeter and his family live in Miami, but he has been in the public eye more often since stepping down as the CEO of the Miami Marlins and selling his 4% stake in February.