Article: Woman NFL Official Coming

[FredFan7]

Carl Johnson says he will probably hire a woman to be an NFL official during his tenure as VP of Officiating.

es.pn/oHi7O5

[JugglingReferee]

I have a few things in common with Sarah Thomas.

Maybe I can be the first Canadian hired onto the NFL officiating staff? ;D

I've heard her name before in NFL talk. I think we'll see her with 2" stripes shortly. Great for her!

[bulldog6878]

Football fans may want to see a female official but I am not sure how the players coaches will feel. I am sue the players notto metnion the coaches will attend classes as to how you should behave in front of a woman. I guess it would be called a sensetivity class

[FredFan7]

If she's ready, then she's ready. I hope she's not hired "to make a point" and is actually the best candidate.

[zcr57]

Not to play the PC card, but if a woman is hired as an NFL official, it would more than likely be so that she can serve as an affirmative action puppet for the league.

Personally, I don't think a football field is a very safe place for a female official. You have 22 very big men on the field, and if there was ever a situation where she had to intervene in an altercation, something really bad could happen. Can you imagine if she had to get involved in the Cortland Finnegan-Andre Johnson altercation last season?

Another thing to consider is how hard it would be to terminate her for poor performance. If she were in the league for a couple of years, didn't perform up to league standards, and was released by the league, she might scream discrimination.

If she's truly the best candidate for the job, then she deserves to be hired. But, if there are male officials who are just as qualified and get passed over for affirmative action purposes, shame on the league.

[Deleted]

I would be interested to know, from the inside, how the NBA's experience with its two female officials (Violet Palmer, and, for 2 years, Dee Kantner), worked out. We know that baseball's track record here is not very good. I am also curious why it is that so many males work the WNBA. I noticed that in the women's world soccer tournament, all the officials were female.

[FredFan7]

Mike Pereira was asked about this on twitter tonight. His answer is after the three carrots at the end.

“@klcjoey: @mikepereira: will we ever see a female official in a NFL game, if so, how soon?”>>> Three years max

[bulldog6878]

I agree that a woman being on the field would be a safety issue -very much so. When the players are livid, & are in a fighting mode they need somebody strong to come between them and take control of the situation.
Bulldog

[zebrablog]

I wrote about this in 2009. If the league sticks to its hiring practices, the earliest that a female could elevate to the NFL is 2017.

www.footballzebras.com/2009/09/18/239

Unless, of course, they bend or change the rules.

[FredFan7]

Welcome back, zebrablog!

[bulldog6878]

Aug 16, 2011 23:04:45 GMT -5 zcr57 said:

Not to play the PC card, but if a woman is hired as an NFL official, it would more than likely be so that she can serve as an affirmative action puppet for the league.

Personally, I don't think a football field is a very safe place for a female official. You have 22 very big men on the field, and if there was ever a situation where she had to intervene in an altercation, something really bad could happen. Can you imagine if she had to get involved in the Cortland Finnegan-Andre Johnson altercation last season?

Another thing to consider is how hard it would be to terminate her for poor performance. If she were in the league for a couple of years, didn't perform up to league standards, and was released by the league, she might scream discrimination.

If she's truly the best candidate for the job, then she deserves to be hired. But, if there are male officials who are just as qualified and get passed over for affirmative action purposes, shame on the league.

I agree with you zcr.