On Tuesday, word got out that former Florida Governor Jeb Bush is no longer pursuing the Miami Marlins. Bush was part of an ownership group that won the club at auction and was working to finalize a $1.3 billion purchase of the team. Derek Jeter was part of the group as well.
According to Joan Murray of CBS 4 in Miami, Bush and Jeter split after something of a power struggle. From Murray:
The decision by Bush to pull out of the deal came following a dispute between Bush and Jeter regarding who would be in charge of the team.
The initial plan was for Jeter to run the baseball side of the operations and for Bush to run the business side of the team.
But in recent talks, it became clear that Jeter was seeking a greater role prompting Bush to back away from the deal.
The source stresses the friendship between Bush and Jeter remains strong and their split was amicable.
Details such as these (who controls what) are usually sorted out ahead of time, before a group begins serious pursuit of a franchise. Buying a team and then sorting out the details later usually leads to bad news, which may have happened here.
Although Bush has dropped out, reports indicate Jeter remains interested in the Marlins and would like to catch on with other investors.
