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Chicago White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said Sunday he met with players and staff over Adam LaRoche's sudden retirement and that the organization will no longer discuss the situation publicly. LaRoche retired last week when executive vice president Kenny Williams sought to limit the amount of time LaRoche's 14-year-old son, Drake, was spending around the team.
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The way Williams handled the decision ruffled feathers among the White Sox players and ace left-hander Chris Sale referred to Williams as a liar on Friday.
Reinsdorf backed Williams in a statement Sunday and is now calling on the organization to move forward.
"I have taken the past few days to personally meet with everyone involved, including Adam LaRoche, members of our front office, uniformed staff and some of our active players," Reinsdorf said. "I continue to have nothing but the greatest regard for Adam -- in fact, my respect for him has grown during this process -- and I applaud his desire to spend more time with his family.
"I continue to have complete faith in the skills and abilities of the leadership group of our baseball operations department in Ken Williams, (general manager) Rick Hahn and (manager) Robin Ventura. I also appreciate the passion and commitment to one another shown by our players, Robin, our coaching staff and our front office.
"As with many things in life, much of this was a result of miscommunication and misunderstanding rather than this being a case of anyone not telling the truth. I do not believe there is anyone to directly blame in this situation. While there is no doubt this might have been handled differently, the fact remains that this is an internal matter that we have discussed and now resolved."
Reinsdorf said he considers the issue closed despite the national attention the situation has received.
"I am fully confident this matter will soon be behind us," the chairman said in the statement, "and that we will grow even stronger and more united as a team and as an organization."
Meanwhile, Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Tony Clark said a grievance may be filed on behalf of LaRoche.
Clark told reporters he has been in contact with LaRoche but he declined to field questions about LaRoche's possible agreement with the White Sox to have his son around the team.
LaRoche, 36, said Friday that Drake's ability to be around on a daily basis was part of the negotiations when he signed with the White Sox prior to the 2015 season. He said Williams first asked him to "scale back the time" his son spent in the clubhouse, and later requested he not 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," LaRoche said. "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."
LaRoche was due to receive $13 million this season. He batted just .207 with 12 homers and 44 RBIs last season while earning $12 million.
LaRoche hit 255 career homers and belted 20 or more in nine different seasons. He hit a career-high 33 for the Washington Nationals in 2012.
In addition to the Nationals (2011-14) and White Sox (2015), LaRoche also played for the Atlanta Braves (2004-06, 2009), Pittsburgh Pirates (2007-09), Boston Red Sox (2009) and Arizona Diamondbacks (2010).
