Quarles Released:

What was thought to be likely, finally happened. The Bucs released Quarles on the grounds of his previous failed physical for which he had gotten other opinions on. Over the past few years, Quarles had struggled to stay on the field, missing numerous games due to injury. In '05 he managed to stay relatively healthy and had one of his best seasons. Unfortunately it appears that he's simply too banged up, and the Bucs feel they no longer want to risk his health, risk the loss of their MLB for games, and the cap hit that comes with the signing bonus he would be due if they retained him.

While some believe it's part of some big scary conspiracy to "rip the team apart", it's really just an unfortunate fact that Quarles, at 36 (which he'll be in September), is starting to really feel the effects of aging. I'm sure Quarles probably felt he could still play, but the risk was only going to get greater. It's sad to see this moment, as he's been a mainstay with the team for a decade, but, unfortunately, time takes them all.

Hopefully the Bucs will bring him back as a part of the team in either a coaching or promotional role. He's been a fixture on the team too long to not consider keeping him involved.