The NFL’s old race-norming ways are about to get costly

Hundreds of former Black players have their checks cut by the National Football League.

The NFL didn't properly compensate former Black players for concussions because of a racist practice called " race-norming", which assumed that Black players and white players did not have the same intelligence. The league agreed to pay $1 billion to players who suffered chronic brain trauma.

Almost half of the Black men whose tests were rescored are now eligible for dementia awards. According to a report from The Associated Press, sixty-one are classified as having early to moderate dementia, with average awards topping $600,000, while nearly 250 more have milder dementia and will get up to $35,000 in enhanced medical testing and treatment.

Ken, a former player, told the AP that their work has produced some great results. He and his wife petitioned the federal judge who oversaw the settlement to make the changes and demanded that the Justice Department investigate the matter. The goal is to get as many players who deserve compensation as possible.

How can you think that a human coming out of the womb with less cognitive ability is a good thing? It is hard to believe that that can be true. "It's terrible."

The league decided to stop race-norming.

We want to eliminate race-based Norms in the program and in the community as a whole. The league said in a statement at the time that the parties to the settlement were working with the judge to find alternative testing methods. Everyone agrees race-based norms should be replaced, but no off-the-shelf alternative exists and that's why these experts are working to solve this decades-old issue For players who otherwise would have qualified for an award, the replacement norms will be applied retroactively.

The news about former Black players finally getting compensated is one of the most important stories in the NFL in recent years, despite it not being paid much attention to. Hundreds of former Black players are now eligible for payouts from a league that was built on their backs.

Just a few weeks ago Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, and Kyler Murray had their talents questioned by some in the league, and that's why Brian Flores has to file a lawsuit against the league.

All of it is connected.

It is easier to understand why the NFL still hasn't had a majority Black owner and why we can count the number of Black GM if you understand that the powers that be believe that Black people and players are born with lower cognitive ability.

The news last week wasn't just about a wrong. It was an indication of how bad things have been.