Adam LaRoche is putting family first.
Baseball star Adam LaRoche is set to retire from the major leagues because he is putting his family first.
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The Chicago White Sox first baseman is walking away from a $13 million contract after the team said his 14-year-old son, Drake, an aspiring baseball player, needed to spend less time in the clubhouse.
The 36-year-old slugger’s son has been at the team’s spring training in Arizona nearly every day, according to reports. The team’s vice president Kenny Williams reportedly told the player that his son’s appearances needed to be reduced and, just days later, LaRoche handed in his resignation and declared he is walking away from the game and the money.
On Twitter, he explained that he was putting "family first."
Thank u Lord for the game of baseball and for giving me way more than I ever deserved!#FamilyFirst
— Adam LaRoche (@e3laroche) March 15, 2016
But Williams stood by his decision.
“Tell me where in America you can bring your child to work every day,” Williams told USA TODAY Sports. “And how can you manage it? How can you manage the next guy. And the next guy. That’s not fair.”
But he said he wasn't banning children completely.
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"I decided to cut it back, not eliminate it," he said. "We will continue to have a kid-friendly environment and kids around the complex. And I will still take kids out of the stands sometimes before a game while everyone is on the field, take them to clubhouse, and give them the thrill of a young person’s life to be in a major league clubhouse.”
LaRoche grew up in baseball clubhouses himself because his father, Dave, was a pitcher for 14 seasons in the major leagues. LaRoche reportedly wanted to bestow the same learning experience he had on Drake.
Professional athletes bringing their kids to work isn't new – last year Golden State Warrior Stephen Curry brought his adorable two-year-old daughter Riley to many NBA Playoff post-game press conferences.
During the 2002 World Series, San Francisco Giants manager Dusty Baker's four-year-old son, Darren, ran on the field.
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