FILE - In this Aug. 16, 2013, file photo, NFL referee Sarah Thomas works the game in the second half of an NFL preseason football game between the New Orleans Saints and the Oakland Raiders at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. Sarah Thomas is that much closer to taking the field as the NFL's first female official. She's part of a clinic for all refs with most training camps about two weeks away from opening. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton, File)
IRVING, Texas (AP) — Sarah Thomas shared hugs and idle chatter at her first preseason clinic since the NFL made her the first full-time female on-field official.