The NFL has hired Maia Chaka as a game official for the 2021 season, making her the first Black woman to join the league’s on-field officiating staff.
Chaka will join Sarah Thomas as the only women to officiate an NFL game. Thomas was hired in 2015 and was part of the crew that worked Super Bowl LV last month. The NFL announced Chaka’s hiring Friday morning during a segment on The Today Show.
In a statement released by the league, Chaka said: “I am honored to be selected as an NFL official. But this moment is bigger than a personal accomplishment. It is an accomplishment for all women, my community, and my culture.”
The NFL annually updates its roster of officials due to retirements, departures and position changes of its existing group. Replacements are typically culled from the league’s officiating development program, which is made up of officials from various levels who have been identified for potential promotion. Chaka joined the program in 2014.
“Maia’s years of hard work, dedication and perseverance — including as part of the NFL Officiating Development Program — have earned her a position as an NFL official,” said Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations. “As we celebrate Women’s History Month, Maia is a trailblazer as the first Black female official and inspires us toward normalizing women on the football field.”
The full list of NFL officials for 2021 has not been finalized.
The NFL has worked to diversify both its officiating and coaching ranks. In 2020, the league celebrated its first game with an all-Black officiating crew. Also, six women were part of the 14 coaching staffs that made it to the playoffs last season.