White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf releases statement on Adam LaRoche

Chicago White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf released a statement Sunday to address the ongoing drama surrounding the retirement of Adam LaRoche.

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Chicago White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf released a statement Sunday to address the ongoing drama surrounding the retirement of Adam LaRoche. 

LaRoche announced his retirement last week after team vice president Ken Williams asked that his son, Drake, no longer have a presence in the White Sox clubhouse. According to LaRoche, the White Sox had agreed that Drake could be around the team prior to signing him.

In his statement, Reinsdorf said that he has talked to LaRoche and that he still holds him in high regard.

Reinsdorf also addressed how the situation has been handled by his front office personnel, saying that he still trusts their abilities, despite recent miscommunication. 

• Adam LaRoche releases statement on retirement, son

“I continue to have complete faith in the skills and abilities of the leadership group of our baseball operations department in Ken Williams, Rick Hahn and Robin Ventura. I also appreciate the passion and commitment to one another shown by our players, Robin, our coaching staff and our front office,” said Reinsdorf. “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.

“Per my request, White Sox employees will no longer discuss this matter publicly. I felt it was appropriate to release this statement to close the issue for everyone in the organization – from the front office to the players in the clubhouse – so we can focus on Opening Day and winning baseball games for our fans. I am fully confident this matter will soon be behind us and that we will grow even stronger and more united as a team and as an organization.”

• Report: White Sox players, staff complained about Drake LaRoche

Chicago opens it’s season on April 4 against the Oakland Athletics.