The Best Thing That Happened This Week: The NFL Hired a Female Ref

Sarah Thomas, who has worked exhibition games, will be a line judge for the 2015 season, the league announced Wednesday, April 8, 2015.

Brava for Sarah Thomas, the very first full-time female official hired in the NFL’s 95 years of existence. (Technically there was another distaff ref in 2012, but she was a replacement during the lockout.) A wife and mother of three, Thomas, who also has a full-time job as a pharmaceutical rep, got her start officiating high-school games in her home state of Mississippi, moved on to college games for Conference USA, and spent two seasons reffing in the now-expired United Football League. This is a bold step for the NFL and for Thomas, who told the press she was “ecstatic” at the news. We applaud her drive and spirit and hope to welcome her soon to the Linc, where we’ll stand up and salute her accomplishment by screaming, “Open your @*&^%ing eyes, you dumb @*&^%er!”