Thomas ‘ honored’ to be 1st full- time women ref

The NFL broke its own gender barrier on Wednesday, naming the first female game official in its history with the selection of Conference USA veteran Sarah Thomas.

Thomas, who has been officiating football for 19 years, was one of nine firsttime NFL referees added to the league’s stable Wednesday — and definitely the most notable.

“I did not set out to become an NFL official, but the further along I went in the progression, in Conference USA, part of me thought it might be a reality,” Thomas told reporters Wednesday in a conference call set up by the NFL.

“My goal has always been to be the best line judge I can be any time I can get the opportunity,” she added. “I feel honored and blessed to be in the National Football League now.”

Thomas, who will be a line judge, technically isn’t the first female NFL official after the league used Shannon Eastin as a replacement during the brief ( and disastrous) lockout of the regular refs in 2012.

But Thomas is the first woman to be designated a fulltime official, although she will continue her day job as a pharmaceutical representative. She and her husband also have three children— 14and 11yearold sons and a 2yearold daughter.

NFL officiating director Dean Blandino said Thomas had been on the league’s radar for the past eight years, and Thomas drew praise from Ravens coach John Harbaugh for her performance in a Baltimore preseason game last year.

“She might be one of the better ones we’ve had,” Harbaugh told reporters Wednesday. “She’s a good ref, so itwas a good choice.”

Thomas was in the NFL’s officiating development program the past two years and is no stranger to many of the teams afterworking minicamps, training camps and several preseason games.

Thomas got her start on the high school level in Mississippi in 1996, and her career milestones include a Rice North western game in 2011 ( the first time a woman refereed in a Big Ten stadium) and the 2009 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl ( the first woman to call a bowl game).

Thomas said Wednesday she expects to stand out, at least at first, but will continue to try to mitigate that by tucking her hair into her cap to blend in. That was suggested to her by former NFL referee Gerry Austin, who was her boss as Conference USA’s officiating director.

“I think my hair’s the least ofmy concerns,” Thomas said. “As far as players and coaches, I’ve been around a good little while, and I think they know who I amand just want to make sure I can do my job.”