Sox Chris Sale: Williams 'Bald-faced lied to us'

CHICAGO (FOX 32 NEWS) - Chicago Sox ace Chris Sale is calling Sox executive vice president Kenny Williams a bald-faced liar after the abrupt retirement of Adam LaRoche.

LaRoche decided to retire after Williams decided it was not acceptable for LaRoche's son Drake, 14, to hang around the clubhouse. Drake has been a fixture in the clubhouse and is regarded as a good, helpful kid.

"Somebody walked out of those doors the other day and it was the wrong guy," Sale said. "We got bald-faced lied to by someone that we trust. This isn't us rebelling against rules; this is us rebelling against B.S."

Sale hung Drake's uniform on his locker on Friday.

LaRoche released a long statement on Friday, which read in part:

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.

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?

Meanwhile, manager Robin Ventura is trying to stay out of the fray.

"It's always raw, any time a guy is released, retired --  that stuff is always tough," Ventura said. "So I'm dealing with that more than the other stuff."

White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement:

“While we appreciate everyone’s attention and interest, we continue to feel that it would be premature to comment at this time.  This is an internal issue, and we are in the process of holding a number of discussions with players, staff and the front office.  As a result, we do not want to comment until that process is completed. I have instructed members of the organization not to talk about this issue and get our focus back on the field and winning baseball games.”