The "Baltimore Sun" reports the NFL will have its first permanent female official this coming season. Her name is Sarah Thomas, and she's a 41-year-old mother of three.
She's worked Division 1 college football for the past seven years, and in 2009, she became the first woman to officiate a college bowl game. She also called some NFL preseason games last year.
For the record, a few years ago, another woman named Shannon Eastin became the first woman to officiate a regular season NFL game. She was a replacement ref during the 2012 NFL referee lockout.
While it sounds like this is a done deal, the NFL hasn't confirmed it yet.
ESPN profiled Thomas on "Outside the Lines" a few years back. The NBA has TWO female refs, and there are no female umpires in baseball.
