Female ex-referee accuses NFL of sexism, sues after she was allegedly made to perform 'an utterly humiliating' act

The NFL's third-ever female referee has filed a lawsuit against the league, citing gender-based scrutiny and multiple "humiliating" instances.

Robin DeLorenzo of New Jersey was hired by the NFL in 2022 after working in college football's Big Ten Conference. After three years on the job, DeLorenzo now says her tenure with the league included "unchecked harassment" and gender bias.

'A male power play that served its purpose of humiliating plaintiff, shattering her confidence.'

DeLorenzo's lawsuit signaled that her experience in the NFL was immediately non-satisfactory upon receiving male-sized clothing before she reported for duty.

According to the Associated Press, one of DeLorenzo's worst experiences allegedly came during a Pittsburgh Steelers training camp. Teams routinely bring in officials to referee their practice games.

The lawsuit claims that an NFL officials' crew chief allegedly told then-Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin that DeLorenzo should have to sing in front of everyone at the training camp. The alleged reason was that because she was a new referee, she should be treated like a rookie football player.

DeLorenzo reportedly obliged and sang in front of the Steelers players, the male officiating crew, and her boss. This was described by the female ex-ref as having to "put on an utterly humiliating singing performance."

To make matters worse, DeLorenzo claims her boss promised he would not record her but did so anyway.

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Chris Gardner/Getty Images

Other claims made in the lawsuit include repeated shaming, harassment, and trash-talk by her crew chief, who one year allegedly refused to speak to DeLorenzo by the end of the season.

The lawsuit also reportedly takes issue with the fact that DeLorenzo was forced to attend "an alleged training opportunity" that turned out to involve lower-level college officials.

The legal filing called the instance "a male power play that served its purpose of humiliating plaintiff, shattering her confidence, and significantly hindering her NFL career."

The NFL sees it differently, however. Spokesman Brian McCarthy told the Associated Press that DeLorenzo's firing was due to documented underperformance.

"The allegations in this lawsuit are baseless, and we will vigorously defend against them in court," McCarthy said.

Not only does DeLorenzo's lawsuit include statements that she endured "systemic inequality," it also claimed the NFL "exposed her to unchecked harassment, denied her the resources given to men, manipulated her training and grading opportunities, and ultimately ended her career" through "tainted" evaluations by people who "discriminated against her."

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DeLorenzo was fired from the NFL in February 2025 and reassigned to college football along with two male referees. All three of the officials had three or fewer years in the NFL.

The NFL describes its officiating review process as including one or two in-person reviews of an NFL game, each week, by officiating supervisors. These reviews are coupled with weekly training videos, conference calls, and an end-of-season evaluation that determines which referees will officiate in the playoffs.

"A subpar season-long performance could mean remediation, or even a demotion," the league writes. "NFL officials serve on a year-to-year contract, and they have to prove their mettle every year. There is no guarantee that they will return the next season."

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