By Matt Snyder The Marlins released Mike Cameron Monday, and then Tuesday some reports surfaced saying that Cameron was released for conduct detrimental to the team. Wednesday, another report shed further light on the issue.
Cameron got into an altercation with a flight attendant on the Marlins' chartered flight from Pittsburgh to Atlanta, reports the Miami Herald. It wasn't a physical confrontation, but it was bad enough that a complaint was filed against Cameron and the Marlins didn't feel they could keep him on the team. It's worth noting that Cameron -- age 38 -- is not in the Marlins' long-term plans and his release enables them to use more younger players for the final two weeks of the season.
We'll be careful to not speculate as to the severity of the reported and alleged altercation, as it could be a misunderstanding the Marlins just didn't want to deal with, or it could be very serious. Anywhere on that line is possible, so drawing conclusions would be folly. Cameron does have a clean off-field record, as he was suspended once for 25 games for testing positive for a banned stimulant, but has never had run-ins with the police or anything like that.
If it does turn out to be something even remotely bad, there's a good chance Cameron's career is over. He'd open next season as a 39-year-old outfielder with declining defensive skills who hit .203/.285/.359 this season. Add possible off-field baggage to that and consider he hasn't made less than $2 million per year since 1999.
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