NFL line judge Maia Chaka becomes first black woman to officiate league game

NFL line judge Maia Chaka makes her regular season debut at Jets-Panthers game to become the first black woman to serve as an official in league history Line judge Maia Chaka made history at Sunday's Jets-Panthers game in Charlotte by becoming the first African-American woman to officiate an NFL game By making her debut, the 38-year-old Rochester native also became just the third woman to officiate an NFL game, joining Sarah Thomas and Shannon Eastin In addition to some preseason NFL experience, Chaka has also worked at the college level in the Pac-12 and Conference USA, and has worked in the XFL She was selected in 2014 for the NFL's Officiating Development Program According to Indeed.com, NFL officials make an annual salary of $205,000 NFL officials often maintain a separate full-time profession, and Chaka has pledged to continue working as a physical education teacher in Virginia Beach

By Alex Raskin Sports News Editor For Dailymail.com

Published: 14:02 BST, 13 September 2021 | Updated: 14:20 BST, 13 September 2021

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NFL line judge Maia Chaka made history at Sunday's Jets-Panthers game in Charlotte by becoming the first African-American woman to officiate a league game.

'This historic moment to me is an honor and it's a privilege that I've been chosen to represent women and women of color in the most popular sport in America, proving that I can defy the odds and overcome and pretty much master a craft of sport that I didn't really play,' Chaka said in a video the NFL posted on social media before Sunday's game.

By making her debut on Sunday, the 38-year-old Rochester, New York native also became just the third woman to officiate an NFL game, joining Sarah Thomas and Shannon Eastin.

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NFL line judge Maia Chaka made history at Sunday's Jets-Panthers game in Charlotte by becoming the first African-American woman to officiate a league game

By making her