MLB Rewind: Derek Jeter gets into a battle of words with a New York Yankees teammate after a bench-clearing brawl with the Seattle Mariners
After a bench-clearing incident with the Seattle Mariners in August 1999, former New York Yankees star Derek Jeter got into a verbal spat with Chad Curtis.
@GaryMyersNY Recall during a Yankees/ Mariners "get together" in 1999 Derek Jeter was seen talking with Alex Rodriguez which pissed off Chad Curtis
"Recall during a Yankees/ Mariners "get together" in 1999 Derek Jeter was seen talking with Alex Rodriguez which pissed off Chad Curtis." - @ Joe Solimeno
During a game between the Seattle Mariners and the New York Yankees in early August 1999, Frankie Rodriguez, the pitcher for the Seattle Mariners at the time, yelled at several of the Yankees. The catcher for the New York Yankees, Joe Girardi, informed Frankie Rodriguez that he should step out of the dugout if he wanted to fight, and surprisingly, he did. The brawl quickly ended as the players separated Giradi and the irate pitcher.
Derek Jeter and the then-Seattle Mariners shortstop Alex Rodriguez were unconcerned with the brawl and were laughing with each other around home plate.
That's when Chad Curtis screamed angrily. To him, Jeter and A-Rod joking around was a flagrant violation of an unwritten but well-known baseball rule. Chad feels a player doesn't laugh with an enemy player when your teammate is fighting, no matter how nice you are off the field.
After the ninth-inning brawl, Curtis and Jeter traded furious words in the dugout.
Reportedly, Chad Curtis told Derek Jeter, "You are an excellent player, but you don't know how to play."
Curtis was still yelling at Jeter's locker after the Yankee triumph when infielder Luis Sojo rushed over to calm things down — all as the media looked on. Curtis finally apologized to Jeter for being indiscreet, but not for his sentiments. Although he accepted the apologies, Derek Jeter felt Curtis had crossed the line.
Curtis said, “I constantly self-evaluate,” Curtis said. “Was I wrong? Did I do something wrong? Maybe what I said was proper. The way I said it, where I said it and when I said it, wasn’t proper.”
Chad Curtis later questioned his behavior in a phone discussion with The New York Times journalist Jack Curry in 2007.
Chad Curtis invited Derek Jeter to the Yankees' prayer and religious study group
Chad was a devout Evangelical Christian who despised hip-hop and profanity. He even made national headlines when he turned off his colleagues' music in the clubhouse because he thought it was terrible for the environment. Chad Curtis was also in charge of the Yankees' prayer and religious study group. The Yankees captain was graciously rejected when he extended an invitation to Derek Jeter.
Ironically, Chad Curtis was sentenced to seven to fifteen years in jail in 2013. He was found guilty of six counts of criminal sexual misconduct for unlawfully touching underage females.
"A former Major League Baseball player is headed to prison after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting multiple teenage girls in 2012. (Oct. 3, 2013)" - Wood TV8
Circuit Judge Amy McDowell of Barry County, Michigan, described Curtis as a predator. After Curtis completed the mandatory seven-year sentence, he was paroled in September 2020.
BREAKING NEWS: Ex-MLB star, Chad Curtis released from prison after serving the minimum sentence for sexual assault of high school students. @WOODTV https://t.co/VoxnUEbayZ
"BREAKING NEWS: Ex-MLB star, Chad Curtis released from prison after serving the minimum sentence for sexual assault of high school students." - Heather Walker
A WOOD TV8 reporter visited Curtis' residence following his release and inquired whether he had any words for his victims.
Curtis responded from his doorway, "No, not at this time."
The reporter then inquired about his plans after being released from prison.
He stated, "I'm going to attempt to be a productive person. Thanks."