The NFL Will Stop Assuming Racial Differences When Assessing Brain Injuries

Yesterday, The NFL pledged to halt the use of “race-norming” in the $1 billion settlement of brain injury claims and review past scores for any potential racial bias. “Race-norming” is the assumption that Black players started with the lower cognitive function. These standards were created in the 1990s in hopes of offering more appropriate treatment to dementia patients, but they were used to determine payouts in the NFL concussion case. This practice especially hurt Black retirees to show a deficit and qualify for an award.

This pledge comes after a pair of Black players filed a civil rights lawsuit over the practice. Last month, 50,000 petitions were dropped off at the federal courthouse in Philadelphia. The lawsuits have been thrown out by the judge overseeing the settlement. Later on, Senior U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody took the unusual step and asked for a report on the issue. Black retirees are due a payout, but many fear that the data will never come to light.

Source: NPR