Yankees tell Reggie Jackson to stay away from team

New York, NY, United States (4E Sports) – The New York Yankees have told Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson to stay away from team events indefinitely after his adverse comments about slugger Alex Rodriguez last week.

A source said Jackson, a special adviser for the Yankees, is “under punishment” while another source described the team’s move as “a cooling off period, but not a death penalty”. The source added that Jackson is expected to be back with the team.

The development stemmed from Jackson’s disparaging comments about Rodriguez in an interview published by Sports Illustrated wherein he said that the Yankees third baseman should not be enshrined in Cooperstown because he has admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs earlier in his career.

“Al’s a very good friend, 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 told Sports Illustrated, adding that no player with ties to PEDs ever should be elected to the Hall of Fame.

Jackson has already apologized to Rodriguez, manager Joe Girardi and the Yankees hierarchy. Rodriguez confirmed Jackson called him, but declined to reveal the nature of the talk.

“We’re going to keep that very private,” said Rodriguez, who has been friends with Jackson for years but said his comments have affected their relationship. “With friends like that, who needs enemies,” he added.

Jackson, known as “Mr. October for his spectacular performances during the postseason, spent five of his 21 major league seasons with the Yankees and won two World Series titles in 1977 and 1978.

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