Judge to review NFL’s ‘race-norming’ change

The NFL proposed changes to the $1 billion concussion settlement Wednesday after an outcry over test score adjustments known as “race-norming,” which make it harder for retired Black players to win dementia awards that average $500,000 or more.

The new testing formula, developed during months of closed-door negotiations with players’ lawyers, will remain secret until a federal judge reviews it. That means the 1,435 NFL retirees whose dementia claims have been denied, many or most of them Black, won’t immediately know how the changes could affect them.

They also won’t know if their prior tests will simply be rescored, or if they must endure another grueling round of cognitive testing.

The NFL had agreed in June to halt the use of “race-norming,” which assumes Black players start with lower cognitive function. That makes it harder to show they suffer from a mental deficit linked to their playing days.

The binary scoring system in dementia testing — one for Black people, one for everyone else — was developed by neurologists in the 1990s as a crude way to factor in a patient’s socioeconomic background. Experts say it was never meant to be used to determine payouts in a court settlement.

College basketball: Gonzaga coach Mark Few pleaded guilty to misdemeanor DUI in Idaho and must pay a fine of $1,000 in lieu of spending four days in jail. He must also perform 24 hours of community service and his driver’s license was suspended until Nov. 5, after which he will be required to use an ignition interlock device while on unsupervised probation for the next year. Few, 58, completed a required alcohol and drug class.

Soccer: Cristiano Ronaldo scored on a header in the 81st minute as host Manchester United erased a two-goal halftime deficit to beat Atalanta 3-2 in Champions League play. United moved into first place in Group F.