NFL referees and all other officials are not full-time league employees, as they technically work part-time from May through the end of each season with a dark period in between. Thomas being distinguished as the first full-time female NFL official separates her from Shannon Eastin, who became the first female to officiate an NFL game when she was hired as a replacement official (line judge) during the NFL Referees Association lockout of 2012.
Thomas is now a five-year NFL officiating veteran after rising through the college ranks. A Pascagoula, Miss., native, she began officiating youth and high school football games in Mississippi after graduating from the University of Mobile. She was hired by Conference USA in 2007 and officiated college football games until she reached the pros in 2015.
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Gerry Austin, a former NFL official and the supervisor of Conference USA’s officials who hired Thomas, explained to ESPN shortly after she graduated to the NFL what makes her successful in officiating.
“She understood that the rules of the game of football should be applied within the spirit of the game and not within the technical writing of the rules,” Austin said. “I’ve always (stressed) understanding the spirit of rules and don’t be technical. If there’s a call to be made, have the courage to make the call, and she fit within that framework.
“And she has great communication skills. She has the ability to calm the coach down and to explain whatever the coach is questioning. More times than not, a coach just wants to vent. We try to give him his 15-20 seconds to vent and then ask, ‘What’s your question?’
“That’s a good skill, and Sarah has that skill. Coaches have confidence in Sarah’s ability to officiate in our conference, and I think that’s what’s helped her and carried her over to where she’s in the NFL.”
Thomas began her NFL officiating career as a line judge. In 2017, she switched to down judge, which is the position she continues to hold in 2020. She did serve as head linesman in the second half of the 2018 season.
In 2020, Thomas is the down judge on 19-year veteran referee John Hussey’s crew. The down judge lines up on the sideline and looks directly down the line of scrimmage. He or she directs the chain crew and informs the referee of the down and also rules on sideline plays on the nearest half of the field. Below is what the down judge watches on run plays, pass plays and special teams plays.
Run plays: Watches for offside or encroachment; monitors sideline; determines when/if a runner is out of bounds; marks runner’s forward progress.
Pass plays: Watches nearest receiver for first seven yards of his route until he is clear the point of legal contact for defensive backs; watches for pass interference.
Special teams: Watches for offside and encroachment; rules on penalties involving blockers and defenders on trick plays.
Courtesy of Pro Football Reference, below is Thomas’ complete NFL officiating record through last season.
