Maia Chaka has become thefirst Black female official in NFL history, as the league announced Friday that she has been added to theroster ofofficials for the 2021 season.
Chaka, who has officiated forseveral years on the collegelevel, including stints in the Pac-12 Conference and Conference USA, has participated in the NFL’s officiating development program since 2014.
Troy Vincent, the NFL’sexecutive vice president of football operations, said in a statement that Chaka’s “years of hard work, dedication and perseverance … have earned her a position as an NFL official.”
The milestone comes just weeks afterSarah Thomas became the first womanto work a Super Bowl as part of the officiating crew.
“As we celebrate Women’sHistory Month,” Vincent added, “Maia is a trailblazer as the first Black female official and inspires us toward normalizing women on the football field.”
Chaka is a health and physical education teacher in the Virginia Beach public school system and graduate of Norfolk State University.
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