Judge approves fix to stem race bias in NFL concussion deal

By MARYCLAIRE DALE
Associated Press

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. 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.