I was in the fandom at the time and I don't recall that ever being a rumor, I think it was more of a showrunner decision then an actor decision.

But that's when the showrunners started getting very kill happy and inconsistent with the show, like they seriously stopped caring during seasons 4 and 5 (in particular 5) because they wanted to move on and do SGU.

I never should have started reading Mallozzi's blog because I found out what an ass he is and how he doesn't give a shit about his own shows. I still love Sg-1 but I can't watch the final season of SGA because it makes me bitter.