"We're here to support Alex Rodriguez through it" - When Derek Jeter stood up for his former teammate during his steroid use

While the two have had somewhat of a checkered past, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter have always had each other's backs. This was evident during the winter of 2009.

In February, A-Rod reportedly tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs during his MVP season in 2003 and admitted it. It was a big shock and a major hit to the Bronx Bombers.

However, instead of bashing his teammate for his mistake, Jeter and the rest of the club were supportive of Rodriguez. Jeter wanted to make sure A-Rod knew he had people in his corner, via The Spokesman-Review.

"We're here to support him through it," Jeter said.

He explained:

"I don't condone what he did. We don't condone what he did. And Alex doesn't condone what he did. And I think at this point now it's our jobs to try and help him be as comfortable as he can on the field and try to move past this."

Rodriguez ultimately sat out the World Baseball Classic that season and sprint training while nursing a hip injury. He had a labral tear that required surgery and forced him to miss 28 games.

With news surrounding Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter was adamant steroid use was not rampant

New York Yankees - Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter (Photo via IMAGN)

While there were reports of Alex Rodriguez taking steroids, he was not the only one. Plenty of stars were linked to performance-enhancing drugs, and it was tainting the sport. especially in the eyes of the fans.

Throughout his career, Derek Jeter has often spoken of playing the game clean, and this day was no different. He wanted to let the baseball world know steroid usage was not as rampant as everyone makes it to be.

"One thing that is irritating and it really upsets me a lot is when you hear everybody say, 'It was the steroid era. Everybody was doing it.' You know, that's not true. Everybody was not doing it," Jeter said.

After Rodriguez was cleared to play, he and the Yankees got to work right away. They defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2009 World Series. This was their 27th title, and Jeter and A-Rod played a huge part in it.