Female Ref Sues NFL For Discrimination, Says She Was Told To “Shut Your Fucking Mouth” By Another Official
April 2, 2026
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One of the first women to work as a referee in NFL games is suing the league in federal court, saying she was discriminated against based on her gender. In her lawsuit, filed last week, Robin DeLorenzo said the harassment started soon after starting her job, and it continued throughout her time with the most lucrative professional sports league in North America.
The discrimination included not having proper cold-weather gear for winter games, requests for how she wore her hair, and being told to shut your fucking mouth. The complaint, filed in a Manhattan court, lists 12 claims under federal and state laws, all a form of either gender discrimination, harassment, or retaliation. It names the NFL as well as two of DeLorenzo's former supervisors as defendants, former NFL officiating chief Walt Anderson and former NFL official Byron Boston, who also supervised her. HRD America first reported reported about the complaint. In a statement to Football Zebras, the NFL said DeLorenzo was fired following three seasons of documented underperformance, and the allegations in the lawsuit were baseless. DeLorenzo's lawsuit asserts otherwise. [DeLorenzo]'s career was not derailed by lack of ability, effort, or dedication, the complaint said. It was destroyed because she is a woman in an institution that, despite its slogans, is structurally unwilling to treat women as equals.
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