Independence Day was not without some incidents from a certain baseball legend, as Yankees great Derek Jeter was issued a citation on Monday by the United States Air Force for illegal boating into a restricted area near MacDill Air Force Base.
According to reports from the base, Air Force security encountered Jeter around 5:30 pm and wrote the Yankees legend a ticket worth $250 with a $30 processing fee.
But the incident did not end there, as the news of the ticket was revealed once an active member of the Air Force posted a photo of the citation to their personal Facebook page.
MacDill spokesman Terry Montrose apologized on behalf of the Air Force for the actions of the airman in question.
The Air Force apologized for the post and said the airman would be disciplined. “This action is totally inconsistent with Air Force values and the responsible Airman will face the appropriate disciplinary action,” Montrose said. “We sincerely apologize to Mr. Jeter for any inconvenience.”
Jeter owns a mansion on the eastern shore of Davis Islands, which are roughly five miles away from the restricted MacDill boundaries. Montrose stated that while the boundaries are marked, it is still a common for civilian boats to drift into their waters
Signs are posted in the waters 1,000 meters from the MacDill shoreline to warn boaters against entering the restricted area, Montrose said. It’s common for security forces to cite boaters there, he said, adding that it’s “really easy to drift into those waters.”
Jeter had no comment on the situation, but it’s hard to imagine him getting too worked up over a $250 fine – whether or not a Red Sox fan was the one to blow the whistle on him or not.
