Maia Chaka Has Just Become The First Black Female Official In NFL History
Meet Maia Chaka, the first black female in the NFL who has just made history on turf!
Seven years after Ms. Chaka was only one of two women who were selected for an NFL officiating developmental program, has made history in the NFL and in her career.
The NFL announced exclusively on TODAY, that Maia Chaka has become the first Black woman to be hired as an NFL official in regular season games!
Congratulations to you Ms. Chaka!
“It didn’t really hit me until just now,” Chaka said on TODAY. “When I saw the introduction, I’m like, ‘This is really real,’ because this is just something that we’re just always taught to work hard for. Sometimes we just don’t take time to stop and smell our own roses.
Maia Chaka via TODAY
“I’ve just been grinding for so long at this, it’s just an honor to be able to join the National Football League,” Chaka said on TODAY.
Maia Chaka via TODAY
Maia Chaka is also only the second woman after Sarah Thomas to become an NFL official and received the life changing call on March 1st.
“Welcome to the National Football League,’ and I just went nuts,” Chaka said to TODAY. “I asked him, ‘Hey are you punking me, you’ve gotta be kidding me,’ because I’ve been at it for so long, I just never thought the day would come. I just enjoyed working.”
Maia Chaka via TODAY
Chaka has been training with the NFL since 2014 when she and Sarah Thomas were only two of 21 referees chosen for the NFL Officiating Development Program.
Chaka has also worked with the NFL preseason games as part of the previous program she was involved in; however, Chaka will now be a part of the team for the NFL’s regular season!
Chaka also mentioned personal advice and career tips on what makes a good official in the NFL in her interview with TODAY,
“You need to have a lot of patience,” she said about what makes a good official to TODAY. “And then after having patience, you have to be able to listen, and then you need to have the confidence on the field to make the call. You also need to make sure that you are very decisive in that whatever decision you make, you stand by it.
Maia Chaka via TODAY
“You’re going to make mistakes. It’s not necessarily how many mistakes that you make, it’s how you recover from all those mistakes that you make,” Chaka explained to TODAY.
Maia Chaka via TODAY
Maia Chaka can now look forward to the moment she jogs on field to officiate her first regular season game in September; congratulations again Maia Chaka, and we look forward to seeing you up on the big screen out on the turf!
