Pascagoula native Sarah Thomas could be first full-time female NFL official
METAIRIE, La. -- Sarah Thomas checks her wardrobe before football games.
Black and white jersey? Got it.
Whistle around the neck, too. Yep.
Black pants and matching baseball cap? Right here.
Thomas then tucks her long, blonde hair under her fitted cap.
"You don't want to stand out any more than I would, I guess," said Thomas, a Pascagoula native. "Probably helps me blend in a little bit."
Not that she's too worried about being different. As early as next season, Thomas likely will become the first full-time female to officiate in the NFL. She's currently on the NFL's short list of 21 officials poised to be considered for jobs if current officials vacate their posts.
Joined by another female referee, Thomas spent Thursday morning at Saints training camp, participating in the NFL's Officiating Development Program.
Saints running back Pierre Thomas was impressed.
"Some of them look faster than some of our guys out there," Pierre Thomas joked.
On Aug 16, Thomas will work as a line judge during a preseason game between Tampa Bay at New England.
So far, she has focused on being just another referee.
"I'm just me," said Thomas, a mother of three, including a 7-month-old daughter. She and husband Brian live just outside of Jackson in Brandon. "I try to get better every time I'm given the opportunity, and I don't know anything else with (having an) identity other than how to be myself."
That's what veteran official Walt Coleman said he has been pleased to witness.
"She's just like all the rest of the guys, and that's what we're interested in," Coleman said. "Somebody that can officiate football games, because when you're out there, and there's just seven of you out there, nobody else is on your team. Nobody else is on your side. You're out there all by yourself, and we all depend on each other."
Peers have praised her ability to be comfortable in hostile settings, complete with 22 players on the field, as well as coaches and fans yelling and screaming. It's an atmosphere she thrives in.
Thomas said her officiating career, which began in the early 1990s, did not start with NFL aspirations. Still, her skill set and knowledge of the game allowed her to move up in the profession. In 1996, she became the first female to officiate in a Division 1A high school football game in Mississippi.
She's currently a line judge with Conference USA, a position she's held since 2007. Her game resume has included the 2009 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl and the Under Armour Senior Bowl in Mobile. Thomas also has worked in the United Football League.
Around this time, she became one of thousands of referees on the high school, small college and major college level to be identified and tracked by the NFL's officiating office. Her knowledge of the game, her ability to be in the right position to make calls yet not be in the way and her physical shape have placed her on the apex of working on the sport's highest level.
All this, and she's handled the extra media attention with grace, said Dean Blandino, vice president of officiating for the NFL.
In addition to local and regional media covering the Saints, Thomas was interviewed Thursday by CNN, ESPN, NFL Network, ABC's "Good Morning America," NBC "Nightly News" and CBS "This Morning."
"The way she carries herself, her decisiveness and how with all this press and all that's going on, it doesn't take her away from what she's here to do, which is her job," Blandino said.
REINHOLD MATAY/ASSOCIATED PRESS/FILE Conference USA official Sarah Thomas looks downfield before a game in 2011. A Pascagoula native, Thomas is officiating the Saints camp this week and is on track to be the first full-time official in the NFL.
Black and white jersey? Got it.
Whistle around the neck, too. Yep.
Black pants and matching baseball cap? Right here.
Thomas then tucks her long, blonde hair under her fitted cap.
"You don't want to stand out any more than I would, I guess," said Thomas, a Pascagoula native. "Probably helps me blend in a little bit."
Not that she's too worried about being different. As early as next season, Thomas likely will become the first full-time female to officiate in the NFL. She's currently on the NFL's short list of 21 officials poised to be considered for jobs if current officials vacate their posts.
Joined by another female referee, Thomas spent Thursday morning at Saints training camp, participating in the NFL's Officiating Development Program.
Saints running back Pierre Thomas was impressed.
"Some of them look faster than some of our guys out there," Pierre Thomas joked.
On Aug 16, Thomas will work as a line judge during a preseason game between Tampa Bay at New England.
So far, she has focused on being just another referee.
"I'm just me," said Thomas, a mother of three, including a 7-month-old daughter. She and husband Brian live just outside of Jackson in Brandon. "I try to get better every time I'm given the opportunity, and I don't know anything else with (having an) identity other than how to be myself."
That's what veteran official Walt Coleman said he has been pleased to witness.
"She's just like all the rest of the guys, and that's what we're interested in," Coleman said. "Somebody that can officiate football games, because when you're out there, and there's just seven of you out there, nobody else is on your team. Nobody else is on your side. You're out there all by yourself, and we all depend on each other."
Peers have praised her ability to be comfortable in hostile settings, complete with 22 players on the field, as well as coaches and fans yelling and screaming. It's an atmosphere she thrives in.
Thomas said her officiating career, which began in the early 1990s, did not start with NFL aspirations. Still, her skill set and knowledge of the game allowed her to move up in the profession. In 1996, she became the first female to officiate in a Division 1A high school football game in Mississippi.
She's currently a line judge with Conference USA, a position she's held since 2007. Her game resume has included the 2009 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl and the Under Armour Senior Bowl in Mobile. Thomas also has worked in the United Football League.
Around this time, she became one of thousands of referees on the high school, small college and major college level to be identified and tracked by the NFL's officiating office. Her knowledge of the game, her ability to be in the right position to make calls yet not be in the way and her physical shape have placed her on the apex of working on the sport's highest level.
All this, and she's handled the extra media attention with grace, said Dean Blandino, vice president of officiating for the NFL.
In addition to local and regional media covering the Saints, Thomas was interviewed Thursday by CNN, ESPN, NFL Network, ABC's "Good Morning America," NBC "Nightly News" and CBS "This Morning."
"The way she carries herself, her decisiveness and how with all this press and all that's going on, it doesn't take her away from what she's here to do, which is her job," Blandino said.
REINHOLD MATAY/ASSOCIATED PRESS/FILE Conference USA official Sarah Thomas looks downfield before a game in 2011. A Pascagoula native, Thomas is officiating the Saints camp this week and is on track to be the first full-time official in the NFL.
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