Shannon Eastin Will Be First Woman To Officiate In NFL

Shannon Eastin Will Be First Woman To Officiate In NFL

Published on August 6th, 2012

Shannon Eastin will be the first woman to belong to an NFL officiating crew this upcoming season...


Posted by Daye Kaba

Shannon Eastin will be the first woman to belong to an NFL officiating crew this upcoming season:

The replacement officials made their debut in Sunday's Hall of Fame Game, and save a botched coin toss (hey, it's happened before with the full-timers) and a missed holding call in the end zone in the first quarter that would've given the Saints two points, the experience wasn't unlike a typical week in the NFL. Which is to say: despite concerns, the game didn't collapse under the weight of incompetent officiating as some (like, say, us) feared.

For now, the NFL continues to lock out the full-time officials and will move forward with their replacements. According to the Los Angeles Times' Sam Farmar, when the Packers face the Chargers Thursday, Shannon Eastin will make history as the first woman to be part of an NFL officiating crew. Eastin has worked Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference games as well as the Arizona Cardinals' Red and White game, and the Times had previously identified her as one of the referees at an NFL training clinic.
 
Eastin better not make too many bad calls, I doubt she will have long leash. If she does mess up, she will hear from everywhere, and most likely be the story for weeks. It will probably be the end of women officiating in the NFL, or at least for a while. It is as simple as that. I applaud Eastin for her courage by taking on the challenge, it won't be easy. The NFL is obviously taking a big chance by hiring her, but I guess they did their homework. Having a woman as a referee will definitely bring more females to watch football on that night, if anything.

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