The Turk could be getting a visit from, well, the Turk.
At a press conference held in connection with the quarterly ownership meetings in Boston, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that the league is interested in making the process of widespread roster cuts more “humane,” according to multiple Twitter entries from folks covering the press conference.
Currently, the NFL’s teams jettison up to 37 players each in the days after the third preseason game through the days after fourth preseason game, cutting offseason rosters from a maximum of 90 down to 53. Typically, the players who are getting cut are asked to meet with the coach or the G.M., they get the news, and then they move on.
It’s hard to envision a way to make the scene, which has played out numerous times on Hard Knocks over the past decade, any different. For football players, who are used to being chewed out on the practice field, a calm, rational, matter-of-fact meeting is as “humane” as bad news ever gets.
Goodell also mentioned the possibility of post-cut services for players who will be faced with the task of transitioning to a new line of work. Perhaps that’s how the process can become more “humane,” given that currently the players basically get a handshake and a clear path through the door.
Regardless, there’s only so much the NFL can do to alter the harsh reality that players get cut -- routinely. Whether they get a ribbon for participation or a pat on the back or a juice box or a swift kick in the ass, the end result is that the player who previously had a spot on the roster no longer does. Other than making those post-cut services available to ease the transition to life after football, we’re not sure what else can be done.
Apart from, you know, not releasing a guy right after he is diagnosed with diabetes or any other health condition that can be managed and treated.