Ken Griffey Jr. broke his silence Wednesday at spring training, where he addressed his abrupt retirement from baseball last June.

In a prepared statement, Griffey stated that he always wanted to retire from the game quickly and quietly and that he felt no obligations to explain himself to his fans.

“You want me to apologize for something that I felt was right? I had to do what I thought was right for me,” he said.

Griffey retired suddenly last summer after batting a subpar .184 for the first half of the season. His retirement also came after accusations of  sleeping in the clubhouse during a Mariners game in May.

Ending his career with 630 home runs, 2,781 hits, and 13 All-Star Game appearances should garner him a spot in Cooperstown. He has also accepted a position in the Mariners front office as a special consultant

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