NFL breaks ground, hires Sarah Thomas as line judge

Sarah Thomas saw the New York City area code pop up on her phone and started praying it was the NFL calling to say she’d been hired as a full-time game official. Not because that would make her the first woman to hold the job. Her hopes were those of any longtime official on the cusp of working at the sport’s pinnacle. Thomas will be a line judge for the 2015 season, the league announced Wednesday. She’s proud to serve as an example that anyone can succeed in any endeavor. But breaking down barriers was just a byproduct of her goals, not the goal itself. “It’s just a mindset of an official that you don’t want to be seen or noticed,” Thomas said on a conference call with reporters.

Associated Press