We hear athletes say all the time "it's not about the money" or "my family and my faith come first, no matter what," but at this point those statements mostly fall on deaf ears. Fans have been burned to many times to believe that their hero athletes simply play for the love of the game and that, at their core, they have their priorities straight.

Enter Bubba Watson.

Today, Watson tweeted that he'd be skipping The Player's Championship this year to spend more time with his wife Angie and new son, Caleb. If you happen to follow a lot of golfers and golf media personalities on Twitter, you saw the same thing I did: a lot of "Well done, Bubba" and a little bit of speculation about the situation.

There's nothing to speculate here. Some have wondered whether Watson would have taken this time off had he not won the Masters or if having to take the two hour trek from Orlando to Jacksonville was really that much of an inconvenience that it warranted him pulling out of the tournament. Others have asked if he would have made the same decision if it was a major championship he wouldn't be attending.

It simply doesn't matter and any speculation on Watson's decision should be brushed off and not worth your consideration. Watson doesn't have to give any type of response to those who question or speculate on his decision, even if that speculation isn't coming from a bad place.

If a new father wants to spend more time wih his family, end of story. The early years of a childs life only come once and Bubba has a great enough golf game that The Player's will be there for the taking many times in the future.

What matters is that Watson actually has the stones to flat out say he won't be there, thank the fans, and then move on to family life. Many athletes wouldn't do it. We talk about "for love of the game," but what's most admirable about what Watson is doing is he's making it about "for love of the family."

Class act.