One of NFL's first female officials alleges gender discrimination, harassment in lawsuit

NFL referee Robin DeLorenzo prepares for a game between the Texans and Saints on Oct. 15, 2023, in Houston. (Eric Christian Smith / Associated Press) One of the first women to officiate an NFL game is suing the league for gender discrimination, harassment and retaliation more than a year after she was fired.

Robin DeLorenzo filed a lawsuit last week in the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York that claims she was "subjected to gender-based scrutiny, humiliation, disparate training, unequal gear, and open hostility" while employed as an NFL official from April 2022 to February 2025.

"She was denied the support and development routinely afforded to male officials, graded through a system built and controlled by men who had fixated on her gender from day one, and punished when she reported harassment or insisted on being treated with basic respect," the lawsuit states. Read more: Avoiding another 'Fail Mary': Inside the tense NFL vs. referees labor dispute "The NFL had every chance to intervene, to support her, and to apply its policies fairly.

Instead, it silenced complaints, rewarded the men who mistreated her, and ultimately terminated her using the very metrics corrupted by that discrimination. " In a statement emailed to The Times, the NFL denied the allegations. "The NFL is committed to providing a fair and supportive environment for all of its game officials," the league said.