Lawyers: NFL Concussion Awards Discriminate Against Blacks

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Lawyers for two former NFL players say that dementia testing used to determine eligibility in the league's concussion settlement uses a formula that discriminates against Black men. The settlement fund has so far paid about $720 million to retired players for problems linked to NFL concussions, including more than $300 million for dementia claims. Lawyers for Kevin Henry and Najeh Davenport say in court filings Tuesday that their clients were denied awards, but would have qualified under the scoring system for white men. Lawyer Cy Smith says the tests should be race-neutral. An NFL spokesman calls the lawsuit “entirely misguided” and says the settlement program was comprehensively negotiated between the league and players.