NFL and former players reach deal to end race as factor to decide payouts in concussion settlement programme – By SKY News Staff (SKY News) / Oct 21 2021
It follows public outrage over the use of “race-norming” – a practice which assumes black players start with lower cognitive function than white players, which critics said made it difficult for black retired players to qualify for payouts.
The NFL and lawyers for thousands of retired players have reached an agreement to end the use of a race-based method to evaluate dementia claims in the league’s landmark concussion settlement programme.
It follows public outrage over the use of “race-norming” – a practice that critics said made it difficult for black retired players to qualify for payouts, and which came to light after former players Najeh Davenport and Kevin Henry filed a civil rights lawsuit over it last year
The method assumes black players start with lower cognitive function than white players, which makes it more difficult for them to show they suffer from a mental impairment linked to their playing days.
Critics say it may have prevented hundreds of black players suffering from dementia to win awards that average $500,000 or more.
