NEAR WEST SIDE — After appearing at a youth forum in Chicago on Wednesday, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter said taking performance-enhancing drugs are not a shortcut to success.
But the star wouldn’t comment on what that meant for his teammate Alex Rodriguez, recently suspended for 211 games by Major League Baseball for allegedly using such drugs.
“I’d say there’s no shortcut to any goal. It takes hard work, dedication and support. Sometimes people try to get an edge up or take a shortcut, it doesn’t always work out for the best, you know?” Jeter, in town for a three-game series against the White Sox, said following the youth panel discussion Wednesday at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
Yankees third baseman Rodriguez was officially suspended Monday for allegedly using performance-enhancing drugs. The three-time Most Valuable Player is appealing his suspension, which goes into effect Thursday. Twelve other MLB players accepted 50-game suspensions Monday for their connections to Biogenesis, an anti-aging clinic in Florida.
Jeter's remarks about performance-enhancing drugs came in response to a question from a reporter. Asked specifically about Rodriguez, Jeter begged off, saying, "No, we're not getting into that."
Wednesday was the final day of a youth summit, hosted by Jeter's foundation “Turn 2,” at the UIC Forum.
More than 250 high school students from youth leadership programs across the country attended the four-day conference, which included workshops and events designed to prepare students for college.
Jeter, who moderated a seven-member panel, answered several questions from students about achieving success.
“You have to surround yourself with people who are going to support you,” Jeter told one student.
Jeter also stressed accepting failure, learning from it and moving forward.
“There’s bumps along the road, but you gotta learn from them,” he told the students.
