Line judge sues NFL for discrimination after 2025 firing

Robin DeLorenzo, one of the NFL's first female game officials, filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against the league in Manhattan federal court on Friday. The line judge, hired in 2022 and terminated on Feb. 18, 2025, alleges she endured scrutiny, humiliation and hostility during her three seasons. She seeks reinstatement and unspecified damages.

The lawsuit details incidents including receipt of man-sized uniforms and instructions to route her ponytail through her hat's back hole to signal her presence on the field. It claims repeated comments about her hair led her to consider cutting it. DeLorenzo also alleges her crew chief directed her to sing humiliatingly before the Pittsburgh Steelers, their players and staff during training camp; the chief recorded the performance despite assurances otherwise and later harassed her with profanity before ceasing communication.

The suit further states that in 2024, DeLorenzo attended a training session for lower-level college officials over her union's objection, a requirement not imposed on male officials. It describes this as a tactic to undermine her confidence and career. DeLorenzo officiated NFL games including Jaguars-Raiders, Chiefs and Cardinals-Bears matchups.

The NFL stated DeLorenzo was fired following three seasons of documented underperformance and called the allegations baseless. The league pledged to defend vigorously in court while affirming its commitment to a fair environment for officials.