Do NFL brain-injury payouts show bias against Blacks? Petitions demand change
Thousands of retired Black professional football players, their families and supporters are demanding an end to the controversial use of “race-norming” to determine which players are eligible for payouts in the NFL’s $1 billion settlement of brain injury claims, a system experts say is discriminatory.
Former Washington running back Ken Jenkins, 60, and his wife Amy Lewis on Friday delivered 50,000 petitions demanding equal treatment for Black players to Senior U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody in Philadelphia, who is overseeing the massive settlement. Former players who suffer dementia or other diagnoses can be eligible for a payout.
Under the settlement, however, 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.
“My reaction was, ‘Well, here we go again,'” said Jenkins, a former running back. “It’s the same old nonsense for Black folks, to have to deal with some insidious, convoluted deals that are being made.” Jenkins is now an insurance executive and is not experiencing any cognitive problems, but has plenty of NFL friends who are less fortunate.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy has declined to comment on the issue in the past, and did not immediately return an email seeking comment Friday.
The majority of the league’s 20,000 retirees are Black. And only a quarter of the more than 2,000 men who sought awards for early to moderate dementia have qualified under the testing program. Lawyers for Black players have asked for details on how the $800 million in settlement payouts so far have broken along racial lines, but have yet to receive them.
Race norming is sometimes used in medicine as a rough proxy for socioeconomic factors that can affect someone’s health. Experts in neurology said the way it’s used in the NFL settlement is too simplistic and restrictive, and has the effect of systematically discriminating against Black players.
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NFL schedule 2021: A first look at the Week 1 games of every team
Philadelphia at Atlanta
The Eagles, who have beaten Atlanta in three of their last four meetings, face new Falcons coach Arthur Smith in his debut and rookie tight end Kyle Pitts, a Philadelphia native.
Pittsburgh at Buffalo
Steelers open on the road for the seventh year in a row, and it’s Ben Roethlisberger against Josh Allen, who has a lot of young Ben Roethlisberger qualities.
New York Jets at Carolina
If Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold is looking to exact revenge against his old team, he won’t have to wait long. How does that No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson look?
Minnesota at Cincinnati
Riley Reiff has gone from left tackle for the Vikings to right tackle for the Bengals, where he’ll be blocking for the surgically reconstructed Joe Burrow. Reiff has the unenviable task of keeping Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter at bay.
San Francisco at Detroit
Jared Goff makes his debut for the Lions and likely will square off against a familiar foe in Jimmy Garoppolo. But it could be rookie Trey Lance for the 49ers, and the Lions don’t have a great track record against quarterbacks playing their first NFL game. They tied Arizona with Kyler Murray in 2019, and lost to the Jets’ Darnold (2018) and the Falcons’ Matt Ryan (2008).
Jacksonville at Houston
One of two divisional matchups in Week 1. The retooled Texans, coming off a 4-12 season, get the first look at No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence, coach Urban Meyer … and the repositioned Tim Tebow?
Seattle at Indianapolis
Quarterback Carson Wentz gets a fresh start with the Colts and another crack at Seattle. His Philadelphia teams were 0-5 against the Russell Wilson-led Seahawks.
Arizona at Tennessee
The Titans will open at home for the first time since 2017 and will face a familiar nightmare in Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins, a former AFC South terror. On defense for Arizona will be new cornerback Malcolm Butler, formerly of Tennessee.
Cleveland at Kansas City
It’s Baker Mayfield versus Patrick Mahomes in a rematch of a divisional playoff game that the Chiefs won on their way to the Super Bowl against Tampa Bay.
Miami at New England
The other Week 1 divisional matchup. It’s the fourth time in the last decade that these AFC East foes have faced each other in an opener. Both are trying to figure it out at quarterback, and it could well be second-year Tua Tagovailoa against rookie Mac Jones.
Green Bay at New Orleans
Will Aaron Rodgers play another game for Green Bay? Brett Favre has joked that Rodgers could wind up as quarterback of the Saints. Rodgers reportedly dismissed that possibility in a text back to Favre, but wouldn’t that be wild?
Denver at New York Giants
Now, there’s a distinct possibility to Rodgers winding up in Denver, and that would add juice to this opener. The Broncos played host to the Giants on Monday, Sept. 10, 2001 — one day before the 9/11 terror attacks. This game will be played one day after the solemn 20th anniversary of that tragic day.
Published at Sat, 15 May 2021 01:30:00 +0000