Friendly Reminder The NFL Is A Business: Packers Cut Player Hours After Wishing Him Happy Birthday

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The Green Bay Packers elected to cut defensive lineman Jonathan Garvin on Friday afternoon. The Packers cutting a player who started just one game in his three-year stint with the franchise wouldn't be news 364 days of the year, but his release came on the one day it does matter: his birthday.

Just before 9 a.m. ET on Friday, the Packers shared a photo of Garvin with a big smile on his face wishing him a happy birthday. Just a few hours later, they informed him that he is now unemployed.

The official 'cut day' in the NFL isn't for another month, so the Packers could have waited 24 hours to release Garvin, which is what some fans in the replies are saying. But what good would that have done?

If you think about it, the Packers waiting another day would have only shrunken Garvin's window to potentially join another team and strap up in another training camp.

At the end of the day the NFL is, in fact, a business. Not to sound too dramatic, but there are no days off in the league. Unfortunately for Garvin, he was reminded of that reality on his 24th birthday.

Garvin, a seventh-round pick by Green Bay out of Miami, appeared in 38 games in three seasons with the Packers picking up 32 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a pair of pass deflections.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee, but wants it on the record that he does not bleed orange. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets, including BroBible, SB Nation, and The Spun. Mark also wrote for the Chicago Cubs' Double-A affiliate in 2016, the year the curse was broken. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.