In what was a year of firsts in the NFL, the league has at least one more first to announce. For the first time ever, a female official will be on the officiating crew at the Super Bowl.
The announcement was made Tuesday, that down judge Sarah Thomas would work on referee Carl Cheffers’ officiating crew.
“Sarah Thomas has made history again as the first female Super Bowl official,” NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent said. “Her elite performance and commitment to excellence has earned her the right to officiate the Super Bowl. Congratulations to Sarah on this well-deserved honor.”
“Umpire Fred Bryan, line judge Rusty Baynes, field judge James Coleman, side judge Eugene Hall, back judge Dino Paganelli, and replay official Mike Wimmer make up the rest of the crew, Pro Football Talk reports. “Coleman joins Thomas in making their Super Bowl debuts while the other officials will be working in the game for the second time.”
Thomas was also the first woman to ever officiate a regular-season NFL game.