For the first time in the history of the National Football League, a team has two women coaches on its staff.
Bruce Arians, the coach of the Bucs, expressed a desire at the NFL Combine to hire women coaches for his team.
He became the first person to ever hire a woman to be an NFL assistant coach back in 2015. This was during his time as the coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
Now, Arians has added two women to his staff in Tampa Bay. This is the first time that two women have ever served as coaches together on the same staff, a groundbreaking moment for football and the National Football League.
Lori Locust is one of the two new Tampa hires. She joins the team as an assistant defensive line coach. She worked as the D-line coach for the AAF’s Birmingham Iron this spring and also interned for the Ravens last season.
The second hire is Maral Javadifer, who joins the staff as an assistant strength and conditioning coach. This will be her first experience working with a professional sports team. She doesn’t lack experience in her field, however. She has a doctorate in physical therapy and also completed a sports training residency this past summer.
The Bucs’ new hires are a small step towards gender equality in professional sports.
