When Yankees Legend Derek Jeter Was Stumped by a Reporter With Minka Kelly Rumors: “But Nobody Else Was…”

Derek Jeter has dated multiple women over the years before finally getting settled with Hannah Davis. This includes some high-profile women as well. Back in 2008, there were rumors swirling about Jeter dating actress Minka Kelly. At the time, they had not gone public with their relationship yet and so it was not confirmed. During an interview back then, the legendary New York Yankees shortstop was left stumped by a reporter. 

During his career, the tabloids would do anything to get a glimpse into Jeter’s personal life. The Yankees captain was famously private about his personal life. Furthermore, his dating life was heavily followed, but not much was known. During a 2008 interview, he was left stumped by a reporter.

An indirect Minka Kelly question stumped Derek Jeter in 2008

Derek Jeter avoids questions about his personal life with great expertise. This was even more the case during his baseball career. In 2008, he was perfectly avoiding questions about his relationship with Minka Kelly before a reporter got the best of him. The reporter was interviewing him about a wide array of topics before coming to Kelly. He first tried a direct approach before using a roundabout way to come to his question.

The interviewer, Jimmy Traina, first asked if Jeter and Kelly were dating, citing a football game that they were seen attending together. The Yankees legend denied it by using a question to insinuate that a lot of people were at the game and that he and Kelly were not necessarily together. In response, the Sports Illustrated reporter said, “Lots. But nobody else was standing next to you.” Traina then said, “OK. Let me ask you this. Do you watch Friday Night Lights?” Jeter replied in the affirmative, saying, “Yeah, I watch it.” The reporter followed up by asking, “Do you like the show?”, to which the Yankees icon replied, “It’s a great show.” He then tried catching Jeter off guard by asking, “Who’s your favorite character?” The iconic shortstop laughed and said, “That’s pretty good, Jimmy.”

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Jeter was clearly caught off guard by the line of questioning. And although Traina did not get a straight answer, he managed to somewhat stump the Yankees’ captain. The two were later confirmed to be a couple and dated till 2011, before breaking up. Kelly has spoken about an ex in her book, but it’s not Jeter.

Why did Jeter and Kelly break up?

In 2011, Derek Jeter and Minka Kelly broke up, ending a 3-year romance that seemed destined for marriage. But it did not work out, and the two went their separate ways. Although an official reason for the split was never confirmed, sources said that work took priority over the relationship. This led to the eventual split, as Jeter wanted to focus on his career and Kelly on hers. Furthermore, there was a lot of speculation about a disagreement regarding marriage. But there is not enough evidence to back those claims. 

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What do you think of Derek Jeter getting stumped while being asked about Minka Kelly? Kindly share your thoughts in the comments below!