TAMPA – Gary Sheffield declined to reveal anything about his latest contract demands yesterday, instead portraying himself as a man tormented by the media.

Sheffield’s recent attempt to rework his contract to get interest on $13.5 million in deferred money caused a rift between himself and owner George Steinbrenner – which The Post reported exclusively yesterday – albeit one that apparently healed over the weekend.

When reporters asked Sheffield about the story’s details late yesterday morning, he answered, “I don’t really want to discuss it.”

“There’s really nothing to discuss about it,” he added later. “My contract is my contract.

“Everybody always wants to get in my business, but it’s my business.”

Steinbrenner declined to comment on the topic, his PR man Howard Rubenstein said. General manager Brian Cashman pretty much gave the impression he didn’t want to touch the topic of Sheffield’s contract with a 10-foot pole.

“I’m not gonna talk about the subject matter,” said Cashman, who added that his dealings with Sheffield have always been on the “up-and-up.”

For his part, Sheffield said he is not interested in extending his contract with the Yankees, now in the second of a three-year, $39 million pact. There is also a team option of $13 million for the 2007 campaign, and Sheffield wants to wait for this contract to run out before considering a new one.

“I don’t want one,” Sheffield said. “When this is over, that’s it. When this deal is done, I don’t look past it. I can’t predict if somebody is going to want me.

“All I know is that I’ve got three years and an option. When that time comes, I’ll deal with it then.”

Cashman wasn’t a major player in the original deal with Sheffield, as the player and Steinbrenner dealt mostly on a one-on-one basis. Sheffield didn’t use an agent (attorney Rufus Williams advised him), and most industry observers believe it hurt him, especially when it came to more complicated contract aspects such as deferred money.

Williams again declined to comment on Sheffield’s contract, citing privacy. He was in Florida last weekend, although he said he didn’t meet with Steinbrenner, and admitted, “I am planning on coming back [to Tampa].”

Speculation is that Steinbrenner placated Sheffield somehow, although indications were he hadn’t yet handed off the contract issue to either Cashman or Yankee president Randy Levine. Sheffield said he talks to Steinbrenner every day.

Sheffield claimed he has done everything his teammates have done regarding team functions. But The Post reported he refused to do a YES promo before agreeing on Sunday, and a Yankee spokesman admitted Sheffield still hasn’t done an extended sit-down with the network for its pre-packaged programming.

The spokesman claimed that is no big deal, since it seems as if one of the team’s superstars annually lags behind the other players.

Sheffield, who has been forced to answer BALCO questions during the last two springs, feels besieged by answering questions about off-field issues.

“Y’all are always asking me negative questions,” he said. “That’s just part of who I am.

“It’s what I deal with… I don’t have to say anything to deal with some kind of issue. I just worry about what I’ve gotta do and focus on that.”

– The Associated Press contributed to this report.