My latest cartoon for WoodyPaige.com, a leading online platform for sports commentary on all things in the United States and abroad.

For the NFL, there are seasons within every season and one of those just abruptly ended for many hopeful NFL players and veterans. The 53 player cut down happened across all teams, down from the 70 plus roster that had already been whittled down over the course of the summer.

Like the moment of truth in the popular US TV show, The Bachelorette, many nervous players can only sit and watch to see if they were worthy enough to receive a "rose" and move on to the the next show/the regular season.

In the NFL, each team appoints a lower level staff member as the "Turk" (one of several names for the role) who has the unenviable task of delivering the bad news to the players who don't make the cut. They find the player or call him on Cut Down day, then walk the unfortunate individual to the head coach's office for the final meeting, grabbing the playbook on the way. The Turk essentially hands a "not-a-rose" to the unlucky player.

A silver lining is that many of the players who don't make the cut get an offer to remain on the practice squad, which isn't a bad gig, and often leads to full time roles with the team. But for most of the others the day marks the end of a lifelong dream, and a final season.

Αθλητικά »  Soccer/Football  Ball Sports  Other Sports

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