For many Black athletes, the NFL is the dream and the end goal. But what does it mean when the league so many strive to get into, doesn’t value their intellect?
Up until 2021, the NFL had a devious practice that devalued Black players’ brains. That practice is known as race-norming, which is a racist practice that assumes Black athletes have lower cognitive function than white players when testing for brain injury claims.
So, if a Black retiree wanted to qualify for a claim, they’d have to do the unthinkable.
A Black man would have to score so low on his cognitive tests, or even intentionally fail them to qualify, even though they may have a brain deficit or a serious condition such as dementia.
This practice began in 1990 and went unnoticed until 2018, which was when thousands of former Black players had enough and collected over 50,000 petitions. In 2021, the NFL pledged to stop the practice.
The NFL’s race-norming shows they’ll exploit Black men’s bodies and disregard their mental health and capability. Pay attention and stand together when it comes to calling out racist practices. It’s time they all are put to an end.