Jen Welter hired by the Arizona Cardinals as first female NFL coach

Jen Welter is a trailblazer — first in the Indoor Football League, and now the NFL.

Earlier this year, Welter was an assistant coach of the Indoor Football League's Texas Revolution, and believed to be the first woman to coach in a men's professional football league. On Monday, the Arizona Cardinals announced that they have added Welter to their staff as a coaching intern during training camp and the preseason, the Los Angeles Times reports. With this new role, Welter is thought to be the first woman to ever hold a coaching position in the NFL.

"Coaching is nothing more than teaching," Cardinals Coach Bruce Arians said. "One thing I have learned from players is, 'How are you going to make me better? I don't care if you're the Green Hornet, man, I'll listen.' I really believe she'll have a great opportunity with this internship through training camp to open some doors for her."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.