Judge Approves Fix To Stem Race Bias In NFL Concussion Deal
Mar 4, 2022, 5:25 PM
Detailed view of the NFL logo on the pitch during the NFL match between the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 13, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Burstow/Getty Images)
(Photo by Alex Burstow/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A federal judge in Philadelphia has approved new rules that seek to eliminate racial bias in the testing and payout of NFL concussion claims.
The revisions approved Friday to end “race-norming” come after an uproar over testing protocols that made it harder for Black retirees to win dementia awards that average about $600,000.
Federal court judge Anita Brody approved the race norming changes to the NFL concussion settlement, eliminating the practice of considering race in the neurology exams that determined payouts
— Daniel Kaplan (@KaplanSportsBiz) March 4, 2022
Retired player Ken Jenkins and his wife, Amy Lewis, have pushed for the changes and hope the Justice Department’s Office of Civil Rights will investigate.
The original scoring grid followed those used in medicine to diagnose dementia patients.
Lawyers pushing for the change say thousands of Black retired players could be retested or have their tests rescored.
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