The 2012 season hasn't even started, but the NFL is already on track to create history.
Shannon Eastin in now set to become the first woman to officiate an NFL game, the league confirmed on Monday, according to USA Today.
When the Green Bay Packers and San Diego Chargers take the field in Southern California Thursday night for the pre-season match-up, Eastin will be on the field. The game starts at 8:00 p.m. ET on Aug. 9th and will be broadcast on ESPN.
Eastin is a veteran of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, and she's finally getting a chance to ref at the professional level as a result of the labor dispute, according the the Washington Post. Replacement referees already oversaw the Hall of Fame game, which opened the NFL pre-season, on Sunday, but Eastin was not among them.
Prior to today it was unclear whether or not Eastin would see any time at the NFL level. According to NFL.com, a number of currently locked-out referees refused to train Eastin among others. It remains uncertain whether the refusal had to do with the labor dispute or Eastin's gender, but many are speculating.
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