Report: NFL hires 1st full-time female official

The NFL has hired its first full-time female official, Sarah Thomas, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

Thomas became the first woman to ever officiate an NCAA football game in 2007 and has worked two college bowl games: the 2009 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl and the 2011 Pinstripe Bowl. 

The Mississippi native has also worked scrimmages for the New Orleans Saints and spent three days at the Indianapolis Colts' minicamp in 2013 as part of the NFL's officiating development program.

The NFL has had Thomas on its radar for some time now, as the league's vice president of officiating, Dean Blandino, noted in June 2013.

"It's always a positive when there's diversity," Blandino said at the time.