F the NFL: Concussions and Race

[outofplace]

New documentary shows ex-Steelers player Carlton Haselrig's battle with football-related brain injuries

It isn't news that the NFL's handling of concussions has been horrible, but every time I hear a new detail or story, it pisses me off all over again. I haven't watched the documentary referenced here yet, but this story alone is disturbing. The report claims that the NFL used what sure sounds to me like a racist process when evaluating former players' cognitive functions to see if they qualified for benefits.

"The process of scoring former NFL players' cognitive impairment tests assumed that Black players had lower cognitive functions than non-Black players to begin with, and thus were expected to score lower on the tests."

 

[The Big Ragu]

New documentary shows ex-Steelers player Carlton Haselrig's battle with football-related brain injuries

It isn't news that the NFL's handling of concussions has been horrible, but every time I hear a new detail or story, it pisses me off all over again. I haven't watched the documentary referenced here yet, but this story alone is disturbing. The report claims that the NFL used what sure sounds to me like a racist process when evaluating former players' cognitive functions to see if they qualified for benefits.

"The process of scoring former NFL players' cognitive impairment tests assumed that Black players had lower cognitive functions than non-Black players to begin with, and thus were expected to score lower on the tests."

This came out, I want to say 2 years ago? And yes, they were using a racist process. It's called "race-norming."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race-...e formally called,ethnicity of the test-taker.

The NFL didn't invent it. It's a pseudoscience that was actually embraced and forced on people by many of the same people who are up in arms about it when it gets used this way. ... because originally it was thought that by comparing black people to only a population of other black people, they could adjust things like aptitude tests to to "favor" blacks. In the 1980s, a lot of states' employment services were using race norming to create a rationale for meeting affirmative action quotas.

Even though there is nothing scientific about it, any more than eugenics is a science, enough of it still persists in neuropsychology that the NFL was able to use it in the exact opposite way to meet its objectives. ... limit financial compensation from their concussion settlement.

 

[outofplace]

This came out, I want to say 2 years ago? And yes, they were using a racist process. It's called "race-norming."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race-norming#:~:text=Race-norming, more formally called,ethnicity of the test-taker.

The NFL didn't invent it. It's a pseudoscience that was actually embraced and forced on people by many of the same people who are up in arms about it when it gets used this way. ... because originally it was thought that by comparing black people to only a population of other black people, they could adjust things like aptitude tests to to "favor" blacks. In the 1980s, a lot of states' employment services were using race norming to create a rationale for meeting affirmative action quotas.

Even though there is nothing scientific about it, any more than eugenics is a science, enough of it still persists in neuropsychology that the NFL was able to use it in the exact opposite way to meet its objectives. ... limit financial compensation from their concussion settlement.

I remember hearing the accusations of the league using race norming before. I think you are right about the timing. What I don't remember is if it was ever proven that the NFL did this. I certainly don't doubt it. I hadn't really had the time to look more up yet, but I thought the story was worth posting anyway.

You are also right that the NFL used this ridiculous, racist approach to reach the goal of avoiding paying some of the compensation due to former players.

I hadn't heard some of those details about Haselrig, which are heartbreaking. Of course, as a Steelers fan, I watched most of his career. The stories of brain injuries just with that franchise alone are disturbing.

 

[The Big Ragu]

What I don't remember is if it was ever proven that the NFL did this. I certainly don't doubt it. I hadn't really had the time to look more up yet, but I thought the story was worth posting anyway.

It didn't have to be proven. They admitted that they did race-based adjustments in their dementia testing. When there was an outcry, they agreed to change to a race-neutral evaluation process. What was a little head scratching about it is that it wasn't that costly for them, if I remember correctly, which demonstrates once again how tone-deaf they can be. In the aggregate, the change didn't have a significant impact on the program because a large percentage of their retirees were black (even though you could find examples of specific black players who missed the cut for compensation).

 

[outofplace]

It didn't have to be proven. They admitted that they did race-based adjustments in their dementia testing. When there was an outcry, they agreed to change to a race-neutral evaluation process. What was a little head scratching about it is that it wasn't that costly for them, if I remember correctly, which demonstrates once again how tone-deaf they can be. In the aggregate, the change didn't have a significant impact on the program because a large percentage of their retirees were black (even though you could find examples of specific black players who missed the cut for compensation).

Yes. Haselrig was one of them.

That answers my question. That certainly qualifies as it being proven.

That is odd to me, too. It feels like it should have been a much bigger deal. They used a racist process to cheat some of these men out of compensation that they deserved and got away with it.

 

[Justin Biebler]

Wrestled, OK was pinned by Haselrig, when he was at Pitt-Johnstown, five times in college.
First time we met. I was in the down position and and I caught him with an elbow on the ref's whistle. We went out of bounds and he said to me, "Hey Cuz, watch those elbows."
He then proceeded to pick me up, drop me on my head and drive my shoulders into the mat.
He was one bad mutha.
I knew he had a lot of issues during and after his time with the Steelers.
RIP big man.