Just one week after Chris Sale boasted about team rapport in the Chicago White Sox clubhouse, veteran player Adam LaRoche walked out of his $13 million-a-year contract. The reason? The team president, Ken Williams, asked him to limit the time his son Drake spent around the clubhouse and at games.

LaRoche wasted no time announcing the occasion of his retirement on Twitter. In the short post, he summarized “Thank u Lord for the game of baseball and for giving me way more than I ever deserved!#FamilyFirst” Reactions were immediate, varying from criticisms of LaRoche’s perceived lack of commitment to the White Sox to commendations for his family loyalty.

Drake LaRoche, fourteen, has received a nontraditional education, to say the least: he spent all day, every day alongside the White Sox players, and even came to every game. As a homeschooler, he even had a locker in the clubhouse and participated in practice drills with the team. According to the Cornell Daily Sun, this arrangement was not a new one for the LaRoche family; during Adam LaRoche’s tenure with the Nationals, from 2011 to 2014, his son was in attendance at the majority of games.

While some may view this as an odd approach to parenting, the Washington Post quoted LaRoche in 2013 as saying, “We’re not big on school, I told my wife, ‘He’s going to learn a lot more useful information in the clubhouse than he will in the classroom, as far as life lessons.'” He himself received a comparable upbringing, as his father, Dave, coached with the White Sox during his youth, so it is unsurprising that he feels Drake would benefit from such an experience.

The main kerfuffle with the team arose, in the words of team president Ken Williams, “not because the young man was a distraction,” but because the team needed to focus more this season, the New York Times reported. The White Sox had a less than stellar season in 2015, with an overall record of 76-86 in the American League Central, so it is understandable that the team’s management would want to shake things up a little. However, Williams’ apparent tardiness in requesting limitations on Drake’s presence has left some people questioning the organization’s motivations, as the Chicago Tribune pointed out.

Reactions from the general public and athletes alike have been mixed. While a number of athletes tweeted their support for LaRoche following his announcement, lauding his family-centric views, others commented that most people do not have the same privileges as those provided by his unusual occupation. LaRoche is only thirty-six, but he has saved enough funds from his twelve year career (2004-2016) and $13 million annual wages to support his family indefinitely. For many others – especially women, as one Washington Post columnist noted – quitting to spend time with their children would a challenging choice to make.

This does not mean work always trumps family values for the average American; a common desire of workers is to spend more time with loved ones. However, there is also team comittment to consider – LaRoche and his son were popular in the clubhouse, and the former still had a year to play on his White Sox contract. What is now up for debate, in light of all that has transpired, is when it comes down to group loyalty, should it be baseball or #FamilyFirst?