Derek Jeter Definitively States He Never Gave Out Gift Baskets To One-Night Stands In New ESPN Documentary

There’s been a rumor circulating for years now that New York Yankees player Derek Jeter used to give out gift baskets to women he had one-night stands with. (Lest you think they were filled with good stuff like four giant apples and a bag of Moose Munch, the real rumor was that they contained items like signed baseball memorabilia. Bo-ring!)

The rumor has been so pervasive in pop culture that it was even referenced on Peacock’s Girls5Eva when one member of the titular pop group, Dawn (played by Sara Bareilles), states that certain members of their group received said gift baskets after hooking up with Jeter in the ’90s. (Though unrelated to the Jeter story, it may be worth noting that Girls5Eva is written by Meredith Scardino and produced by Tina Fey, who called out Bill Cosby on 30 Rock for drugging women years before his conviction for sexual assault. The reference to Jeter is nowhere near as serious as the allegation against Cosby, but it’s still more proof that Fey’s shows definitely lean on real gossip in the zeitgeist for laughs.)

Jeter has laughed the rumors off in the past, telling sportscaster Joe Buck in 2015 the those rumors were “a dumb story, and you really have to be dumber to believe it.” Let’s call that a soft denial, as Jeter was dismissive but not outright negating the rumor back then. Now, though, Jeter is addressing the story head-on in the ESPN documentary The Captain, saying, “It’s a story that became larger than life. People keep regurgitating this story that never happened. Never happened.”

The Captain is a seven-part docuseries about Jeter’s life and illustrious career as a five-time World Series champion, so he is likely thrilled that the term “gift baskets” is today’s trending topic.

The series premieres Monday, July 18 at 10PM ET/PT on ESPN and ESPN+, with subsequent episodes airing weekly on Thursdays. This post was definitely not sponsored by Harry & David.