The Nutley High School cheerleading captain worked as an NFL official from April 2022 through Feb. 18, 2025, when she was terminated, according to the complaint filed in the Southern District Court of New York. The suit seeks reinstatement, damages, and other relief under federal and state anti-discrimination laws, including Title VII and the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, according to the complaint.
She claims she was “subjected to gender-based scrutiny, humiliation, disparate training, unequal gear, and open hostility” during her time in the league, according to the filing. The lawsuit alleges she was denied the same support and development as male officials and was “punished when she reported harassment or insisted on being treated with basic respect.”
In an email to ESPN, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said that DeLorenzo was terminated due to documented underperformance after three seasons, and further called the claim in the suit baseless.
DeLorenzo says she built her career over two decades, working high school and college football, including the Big Ten Conference, before joining the NFL as one of only three women to reach that level at the time, according to the complaint.
She alleges supervisors made inappropriate comments, including directing her to change her appearance and recording a “humiliating” singing performance in front of the entire Steelers' training camp without her consent, according to the filing. The complaint also claims she was forced to wear ill-fitting men’s uniforms and buy her own gear, while male counterparts were properly outfitted.
DeLorenzo says she was subjected to verbal abuse from a supervisor, including being told to “shut your f—ing mouth,” according to the lawsuit.
She further alleges she was required to attend a college officiating clinic that served “no purpose other than to humiliate her and hinder her NFL career,” according to the filing.
The lawsuit claims her termination was based on evaluations influenced by the same individuals she accuses of discrimination, and that her firing was “the culmination of years of gender-based discrimination, humiliation, and retaliation.”
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