The National Football League appears to be making the same strides toward gender equality by hiring Jen Welter who is the first female NFL coach.

The Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians hinted towards the hiring of a female coach back in March when a reporter questioned if the league would ever hire a woman to coach. Arians responded by saying, “The minute they can prove they can make a player better, they’ll be hired.” The tone and open-minded response prompted rumors to circulate and eyebrows to be raised.

Arians is a nontraditional coach that often thinks outside of the box when it comes to the game of football and how to comprise a winning team. When looking for coaches to hire, Arians sought out professionals who were experienced and had the ability to reach players on another level. Welter fits that description – she has 14 years of professional football experience within the women’s league and in essence lives and breathes the game.

In addition, Arians likes to give the underdog a fair chance. He received a lot of grief for playing defensive back Tyrann Mathieu and wide receiver Josh Brown yet, both players proved to be truly exceptional players.