If you’ve seen an NFL official go into the replay booth to review a play, Desiree Abrams may have been one of the people on the phone helping to spot the ball.
Abrams has been an All-Star defensive end, an official and a lifelong fan of the sport. Her work in the NFL began as an instant replay technician and as an official at Baltimore Ravens practices. Now she spends her Sundays as a replay assistant at the Art McNally GameDay Central—the league’s officiating center—in New York.
Sarah Thomas made headlines in 2015 when she became the first woman to officiate an NFL game, and again in 2021 when she was the first woman to officiate a Super Bowl.