NFL to hire first full-time female official (Report)

For the first time since 2013, NFL fans will reportedly see a female officiating games this year.

The Baltimore Sun has reported that the league is set to break ground and hire Sarah Thomas as the NFL’s first full-time referee.

Thomas has had many firsts in her officiating career and now she can add this to the list.

She became the first woman to officiate an NCAA game in 2007 and then the first female to officiate a bowl game in 2009. She has also been a part of the NFL’s developmental program for officials and has helped out several teams during training camp.

Thomas did officiate a preseason game in 2013 and was thought to be candidate for a full-time position with the league then.

“People who know who I am understand this is something I've wanted to do for a long time,” she said at the time, according to Sporting News. “They know how serious I am and how dedicated I am to this job. I put as much effort into this as anyone.”

The first woman to ever work an NFL game was Shannon Eastin when she was a replacement ref during the lockout in 2012.

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