The NFL has made a groundbreaking hire. The league has reportedly hired its first full-time on-field female game official, Sarah Thomas. Thomas has been in the officiating pipeline for some time, and was previously working at the college level. 'I set out to do this and get involved in officiating not having any idea that there were not any females officiating football' Thomas told NFL Network.

 

The NFL has made a groundbreaking hiring. The league has reportedly hired its first full-time on-field female game official, Sarah Thomas. Thomas has been in the officiating pipeline for some time, and has been working at the college level while learning the NFL game. "I set out to do this and get involved in officiating not having any idea that there were not any females officiating football" Thomas told NFL Network. "Being a former basketball player, you saw female officiating all the time. So, no, I don't feel like a pioneer." Thomas was the first woman to officiate a major college football game when she officiated a 2007 game between Memphis and Jacksonville State after being hired by Conference USA. She technically wouldn't be the first female to officiate an NFL game, that distinction goes to Shannon Eastin, who served as a replacement ref in 2012 when the NFL locked out its officials.

 

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Sarah Thomas is the NFL's First Full-Time Female Referee