In March 2024, the Fifth Circuit issued an opinion in Cloud v. NFL Retirement Plan, in which it overturned a district court ruling that granted full relief on the merits to Michael Cloud, a retired NFL player. The Retirement Plan summarily denied Cloud’s claims, and those of other players, without a “fair and meaningful review” of former players’ disability claims, according to the lower court. The NFL concussion crisis and the issue of race loom large in the background, given the League’s demographics. The case engages questions at the intersection of race, sports law, and employee benefits law.