Earlier this week, Adam LaRoche abruptly left the White Sox after being told his 14-year-old son Drake could no longer be around the team on an everyday basis. Drake was with the team almost every day in 2015.White Sox players are unhappy that LaRoche, a popular teammate, has been pushed out the door. Most notably, staff ace Chris Sale called team president Kenny Williams a "bold-faced liar" and told him to stay out of the clubhouse. The MLBPA is reportedly considered a grievance. 
On Friday, LaRoche issued a statement explaining his side of the story. The full statement can be seen here. Let's break it down piece by piece to fully understand what's happening here.
On Friday, LaRoche issued a statement explaining his side of the story. The full statement can be seen here. Let's break it down piece by piece to fully understand what's happening here.
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. Over the last five years, with both the Nationals and the White Sox, I have been given the opportunity to have my son with me in the clubhouse. It is a privilege I have greatly valued. I have never taken it for granted, and I feel an enormous amount of gratitude toward both of those organizations. Though I clearly indicated to both teams the importance of having my son with me, 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. 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. I'm not going to speak about my son Drake's behavior, his manners, and the quality of person that he is, because everyone knows that I am biased. All of the statements from my teammates, past and present, should say enough. Those comments from all of the people who have interacted with Drake are a testimony to how he carries himself.LaRoche did not spring Drake's presence on his teammates and his employers. He was upfront with the Nationals and the White Sox, with whom he has spent the last five seasons, that he would like to have his son with him. And if there was a problem, he would address it.There have been no such problems and LaRoche points to the support he and Drake have received from current teammates like Sale and Adam Eaton, as well as former teammates like Bryce Harper and Chipper Jones as evidence. Everyone seemed to love having Drake around.
Prior to signing with the White Sox, my first question to the club concerned my son's ability to be a part of the team. After some due diligence on the club's part, we reached an agreement. The 2015 season presented no problems as far as Drake was concerned. (My bat and our record are another story!) With all of this in mind, we move toward the current situation which arose after 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. Obviously, I expressed my displeasure toward this decision to alter the agreement we had reached before I signed with the White Sox. 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. The White Sox organization is full of people with strong values and solid character. My decision to walk away was simply the result of a fundamental disagreement between myself and Ken Williams.This is the important part. LaRoche said he and Williams had an "agreement" before Williams told him to "significantly scale back" the time Drake spent in the clubhouse. He was later told to "not bring him to the ballpark at all."Earlier this week, Williams told Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports he only asked LaRoche to "dial it back," so his comments and LaRoche's statement contradict. LaRoche says Williams told him not to bring Drake to the ballpark at all. The privilege had been revoked.LaRoche does go on to praise those in the organization for their values and does all he can to shoulder the blame. He called it a "fundamental disagreement" between himself and Williams. Rather than be unhappy and not have his son around, LaRoche decided to hang up his spikes. That's his right.
I understand that many people will not understand my decision. I respect that, and all I ask is for that same level of respect in return. I live by certain values that are rooted in my faith, and I am grateful to my parents for that. I have tried to set a good example on and off the field and live a life that represents these values. As fathers, we have an opportunity to help mold our kids into men and women of character, with morals and values that can't be shaken by the world around them. Of one thing I am certain: we will regret NOT spending enough time with our kids, not the other way around. At every level of my career, the game of baseball has reinforced the importance of family to me. Being at my father's side when he coached. Playing alongside my brothers as a kid and as an adult in the big leagues. Likewise, it has been great to have my son by my side to share in this experience as I played.LaRoche has grown up around the game. His father Dave LaRoche played with five teams from 1970-83 and has been coaching since 1984. Adam and his brother Andy, a former top Dodgers prospect, grew up in clubhouses. LaRoche grew up around baseball players and now he wants his son to grow up around baseball players.This is normal to him. This is how he was brought up. It sounds weird to normal folks like you and me, who think it's crazy to bring your kid to work every day or to have a teenager around alpha males in the clubhouse, but that's how LaRoche was raised as a kid. It's all he knows.
In each and every instance, baseball has given me some of my life's greatest memories. This was likely to be the last year of my career, and there's no way I was going to spend it without my son. Baseball has taught me countless life lessons. I've learned how to face challenges, how to overcome failure, how to maintain humility, and most importantly, to trust that the Lord is in control and that I was put here to do more than play the game of baseball. We are called to live life with an unwavering love for God and love for each other. These are lessons I try to teach my kids every day. I truly am blessed to have been granted each of those experiences. Thank you to all of my previous managers, past teammates and friends across the league for making these past 12 years such a wonderful journey, and for providing me with memories that I will never forget--especially the ones with my son by my side. 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. - AdamThe last part of LaRoche's statement is basically a goodbye to baseball after a 12-year career. He never did win a World Series or even go to an All-Star Game, but he made a lot of friends and banked over $71 million in career earnings.LaRoche did not vilify Williams in his statement, which is good. The White Sox have every right to ask him to scale back the amount of time Drake spent at the park -- I don't think it was an unreasonable request at all-- and LaRoche had every right to walk away.The only issue is that LaRoche said he was told not to bring Drake around at all when Williams said he only had to scale it back earlier this week. There's a disconnect somewhere. I don't want to say someone is lying -- Sale had no trouble doing so! -- but information seems to be missing.Mike Axisa/CBS Sports
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