Female coaching candidates had a forum to learn and connect to NFL job opportunities this week.
They also received a direct line to Bill Belichick and Mike Vrabel.
According to NFL senior director of diversity and inclusion Sam Rapoport, the two coaches and guest speakers at the NFL's fifth annual Women's Careers in Football Forum made themselves available to women attendees looking to develop their skills in the profession.
This season saw Buccaneers assistants Lori Locust and Maral Javadifar become the first women to coach on a Super Bowl-winning team. Six of the eight women who coach at the NFL level did so for a playoff team.
The year before that, 49ers assistant Katie Sowers made history as the Super Bowl’s first woman and openly gay coach.
More trailblazers are on their way. The forum included 40 women, 75 percent of whom were women of color. They heard from Belichick, Vrabel and five other head coaches.
More than ever before, it's clear that the future of football coaching is female.
