can someone explain to me what this is

I keep reading articles and nothing explains what actually happened. How would have some diminished cognitive capacity based on race both be offered by one side and accepted by the other AND approved by a court as part of a settlement in the present age?

Sounded to me like the settlements were calculated using a formula based on the perceived loss of cognitive function. So let's say both a black player and white player were measured at 50 (post career), but the black guy was assumed to have started at 80 and the white guy started at 90 (according to whatever data the NFL used), then maybe the black guy got less money because they claim he only lost 30 instead of 40.

As for how it was agreed to, it is puzzling.

It seems absurd that anyone would even suggest such a methodology, let alone that a court would accept it.

I just read about this in the Athletic. I'm confident that the NFL understood this made sense financially because of the higher percentage of black players. Does the judge need a complete understanding of something before signing off on it?

Black Former N.F.L. Players Say Racial Bias Skews Concussion Payouts
The players say doctors use two scales — one for Black athletes, one for white — to determine eligibility for dementia claims.

Andy, Michael, Tim, and Tarik discuss "race norming" and related statistical shenanigans being used in courts today -- most famously in the NFL's concussion class action settlement -- to disadvantage women and people of color, a facially indefensible practice that somehow goes virtually unchallenged

It was probably some actuary tables guys like Dennis use for claims.