She doesn’t want to stand out because of her sex - or worse, because she’s not competent. “She was calling everything,” Haden said, smiling. “I think the best compliment somebody paid to her was when someone said, ‘What did you think of the female official?’ And they said, ‘There’s a female official out here?’ I thought she was on point.”īrowns cornerback Joe Haden joked that Thomas was a little whistle happy. “If she’s efficient and good at what she does, I have no issues with it,” Pettine said. Pettine believes it’s time for the league to welcome female officials. “She’s done a good job,” Browns coach Mike Pettine said after practice Thursday. If this week was any indication, Thomas could be on her way. It’s not her call, so to speak, but Thomas believes she’s ready. The next step is a regular-season game, and the earliest that can happen is 2015. Thomas worked some training camps and preseason games last season. From there, she joined Conference USA and was invited to join the NFL’s developmental program, now in its second year. Thomas began her officiating career in 1996, when an NFL scout spotted her working a high school game. “I am a female, but I don’t look at myself as just a female,” she said. One day, she hopes to be on the field with the pros. Like the players, she worked on improving her skills and honing her craft. This week, Thomas, a former college basketball player, current college official and mother of three whose full-time job is as pharmaceutical sales representative, worked with a crew of officials during Browns mini-camp. Thomas doesn’t consider herself a pioneer, just “one of the guys.” But as one of two female officials in the NFL’s officiating development program, Thomas has a chance to break barriers in a male-dominated profession.
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