Adam LaRoche has spoken, and it doesn’t look good for White Sox vice president Ken Williams.
LaRoche decided to walk away from the game earlier this week after the organization asked him to limit his son’s presence in the locker room, but in a statement issued Friday by the 36-year-old first baseman, he said he was asked to leave his son, Drake, at home entirely.
PHOTOS: Meet Drake LaRoche | SPECTOR: What if Adam LaRoche were better?
"Given the suddenness of my departure and the stir it has caused in both the media and the clubhouse, I feel it’s necessary to provide my perspective," LaRoche wrote. “White Sox VP Ken Williams recently advised me to significantly scale back the time that my son spent in the clubhouse. Later, I was told not to bring him to the ballpark at all."
Williams told reporters earlier this week that he asked LaRoche to "dial back" Drake's presence in the clubhouse, saying having the teen around "even 50 percent (of the time) is probably too much."
OWENS: Ken Williams to blame, must pay | Other players took children to ballpark
LaRoche said he “clearly indicated” to the White Sox the importance of having his son with him at the clubhouse on a daily basis before signing with the club last offseason.
“I also made clear that if there was ever a moment when a teammate, coach or manager was made to feel uncomfortable, then I would immediately address it,” LaRoche wrote. “I realize that this is their office and their career, and it would not be fair to the team if anybody in the clubhouse was unhappy with the situation. Fortunately, that problem never developed.”
MORE: Chris Sale builds an ode to the LaRoches as players push back
So when LaRoche was approached by Williams this spring regarding Drake, he was understandably upset.
“Obviously, I expressed my displeasure toward this decision to alter the agreement we had reached before I signed with the White Sox,” LaRoche wrote. “Upon doing so, I had to make a decision. Do I choose my teammates and my career? Or do I choose my family? The decision was easy, but in no way was it a reflection of how I feel about my teammates, manager, general manager or the club’s owner Jerry Reinsdorf.”
On Friday, Reinsdorf called the story an “internal issue.”
“While we appreciate everyone’s attention and interest, we continue to feel that it would be premature to comment at this time,” Reinsdorf said in a statement (via CSN Chicago). “We are in the process of holding a number of discussions with players, staff and the front office. As a result, we don’t want to comment until the process is completed. I have instructed members of the organization not to talk about this issue and get our focus back on the field and winning baseball games.”
MORE: Baseball's best father-son combos | Cute kids at press conferences
In his only season with the Sox, LaRoche recorded a career-worst .207 batting average with 12 home runs, 44 RBIs and 133 strikeouts. His decision to retire leaves $13 million on the table.
“I understand that many people will not understand my decision. I respect that,” LaRoche wrote. “I will leave you with the same advice that I left my teammates. In life, we’re all faced with difficult decisions and will have a choice to make. Do we act based on the consequences, or do we act on what we know and believe in our hearts to be right? I choose the latter.”