race norming

League officials admitted to using race norming—the assumption that Black players have lower baseline cognitive function than white players and suffer less from concussion—in settlements for concussion-related injuries.

The use of “race norming” in the dementia testing made it more difficult for Blacks to prove they had the kind of cognitive decline that qualifies retired players for awards that average $500,000 or more.

When the NFL introduced a revised testing plan for its $1 billion settlement of concussion claims Wednesday, the league did so to eliminate the use of “race norming” — a controversial medical practice that assumes Black players have lower cognition function than other races.

The NFL has denied using race norming to discriminate.

According to The Associated Press, the use of race norming in dementia testing was developed by neurologists in the 1990s as a way to factor in a patient’s socioeconomic background.