As the story goes, Derek Jeter signed a scholarship offer to play baseball at the University of Michigan. Picked No. 6 overall by the Yankees in the 1992 MLB Draft, Jeter opted to go pro right out of Kalamazoo Central High School instead of move into an Ann Arbor dorm.
The decision ultimately worked out, as Jeter played 20 MLB seasons for the Yankees with five World Series titles, 14 All-Star Game appearances and 3,465 career hits. But since his retirement from baseball, Jeter has rekindled his Michigan affinity. Partnerships with the Jordan Brand, Jeter's long-time sponsor, and The Players' Tribune, Jeter's media platform, have brought Jeter closer to the school.
With a showdown Saturday between No. 4 Michigan and No. 8 Wisconsin coming at Michigan Stadium, Jeter had a letter put in every Wolverine's locker. Each player also received a Jordan shirt with the phrase, "RE2PECT IS EARNED."
RE2PECT is earned.
Derek Jeter wrote this letter to our Michigan Football team. “Respect means respecting the game."#GoBlue #WEAREJORDAN pic.twitter.com/2XSIaXKCEB— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) October 1, 2016
Although it appears the letter was placed in the locker Saturday morning, ESPN's Darren Rovell had access to the text Friday:
Letter that Derek Jeter has written to Michigan players that comes with a "RE2PECT" T-shirt in each locker pic.twitter.com/mHoMcTB1eZ
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) September 30, 2016
The Wolverines entered Saturday 4-0 and 1-0 in conference play. The Badgers are also 4-0, with wins over then-No. 5 LSU and then-No. 8 Michigan State.
Jeter and Michael Jordan attended Michigan's first game of the season at home against Hawaii. Jeter also went to a Michigan home game versus BYU in 2015.
-- Follow Jeffrey Eisenband on Twitter @JeffEisenband.
