Can a Miner Submit a “Stale Share” and What Is the Consequence?

Yes, a miner can submit a "stale share." A stale share is a valid proof-of-work based on a block template that is no longer the current, active template because another pool or miner has already found the next block. The consequence is that the stale share is rejected by the pool and does not count towards the miner's payout.

Stale shares are usually caused by high latency or slow network connectivity.

How Is the Guaranteed Payout in PPS Calculated?
What Is a “Stale Block” and How Does It Relate to the Longest Chain Rule?
What Is a ‘Stale Share’ and Why Does It Reduce a Miner’s Reward?
How Does a Pool’s Payout Method (E.g. PPS) Utilize the Share Count?
What Happens to the Block Reward If a Miner Includes an Invalid Transaction?
How Does the Time Taken to Generate a PoA Template Compare to a Full PoW Block?
How Does High Network Latency Contribute to Stale Data Risk?
Does a Pool Operator Benefit from a High Number of Stale Shares Submitted by Miners?

Glossar