130

View comments

Adam LaRoche, the baseball player who walked away from a multimillion-dollar contract after being told his son could no longer hang out at the clubhouse says he has 'zero regrets'.

LaRoche left the Chicago White Sox and a $13million contract before the season began after a 'short, heated conversation' where he was told that his son Drake, 14, could no longer spend every day at the ball park.

He also revealed that he never let his son know that was the reason he quit, and told him that all kids were being banned from hanging out with the team.

Scroll down for video

 

 

+4

 

Speaking out: Adam LaRoche (above with son Drake) said he still has 'zero regrets' about his decision to walk away from his $13million contract with the Chicago White Sox

 

 

+4

Good call: He made the decision in March after being told his 14-year-old son had to stop hanging around the clubhouse (LaRoche and Drake in February 2015)

'I don't hold a grudge. I don't hate anybody over there. You know, it just made my decision easy,' LaRoche told ABC News’ T.J. Holmes on Good Morning America.

'Honestly, it's not the end of the world to me. And I thank my parents for that. The way I was raised. Because baseball - and I've said it before, I don't want to be defined by this game. I know there's a lot more to life.'

He went on to say; 'Our kids are going to follow in our footsteps, good or bad. And you know, we got a small window here, a very small window here, to turn them into the men that they're going to be. 

'And I don't want to miss six months of that window, even for $13 million.'

Drake also sat down for the interview, and spoke about how much fun he had spending time at the clubhouse and with other players. 

'They’re awesome,' he said of his father's former White Sox teammates.

LaRoche also did not rule out a return to baseball, with the devout Christian saying; 'I'm going to leave that up to the Lord.'

He posted a letter to his fans after his abrupt decision to leave the White Sox organization, writing; '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.'

 

 

+4

Good dad: LaRoche also said that he never told his son that is why he walked away, and told the boy that all children were being banned from the ballpark (LaRoche and Drake in June 2015)

 

 

+4

Good times: Drake meanwhile said he enjoyed his time hanging out with his father's teammates, who he said were 'awesome'

LaRoche, who has made an estimated $70million over the course of his career and has ownership stakes in the Outdoor Network hunting show Buck Commander and the E3 Meat Company, certainly is not hurting for money, and also recently revealed he found a new purpose during a trip to Southeast Asia. 

He spent 10 days there last year working undercover to help free underage sex workers, and said the horrific experience was eye-opening for him, especially since he has a young daughter.

'I think having two kids of my own, especially a 12-year-old daughter, it's impossible not to picture, "Man, what if this is my daughter,"' said LaRoche.

He then said that baseball suddenly was not as important after that trip.