Black players sue NFL over algorithmic 'race-norming'

A group of Black former National Football League (NFL) players filed a federal lawsuit claiming that an evaluation system used for the NFL's USD 1 billion player concussion settlement favoured White players. 

The players argued that the system - named Heaton norms - blocked hundreds of Black claimants from securing payouts by assuming they had lower cognitive functioning when healthy than white players, making it harder for them to be eligible for a payout.

NFL stars stood to receive up to USD 5 million in compensation if they could prove they suffered brain trauma while competing in the League. But some ended up with nothing, resulting in loss of income, homelessness, anxiety and, in some cases, suicide.

According to The Guardian, 'Under the settlement, [..] the NFL has insisted on using a scoring algorithm on the dementia testing that assumes Black men start with lower cognitive skills. They must therefore score much lower than whites to show enough mental decline to win an award. 

The practice, which went unnoticed until 2018, has made it harder for Black former players to get awards.'

➕ June 2021. The NFL agreed to halt the use of 'race-norming' and stated it would make changes to the concussion settlement.