Giants hire their first female full-time scout
Bergen (N.J.) Record USA TODAY
The New York Giants made team history Thursday with the hiring of Hannah Burnett as the first full-time female scout in the organization’s 95-year existence.
While Burnett has great appreciation for the opportunity, the Long Island native promises her focus is on finding talent for the Giants and doing what she can to contribute to the franchise’s quest for a fifth Super Bowl.
“I try not to think about that,” Burnett said Thursday in a team release. “I completely understand and am aware that this is an awesome opportunity, and it’s important for females in the league. But I’ve said this from the get-go: I just want to go in there like everyone else goes in there and go about my business like a pro. Everything will work itself out if I go about my business the right way.”
Burnett, 25, began her NFL journey as an intern with Buffalo and then in the league office as a player personnel assistant before spending the last 19 months in the scouting department of the Atlanta Falcons.
Burnett interviewed via Zoom with top-level executives, including Giants general manager Dave Gettleman, director of college scouting Chris Pettit and assistant director of player personnel Tim McDonnell. She was a three-sport standout in high school and a lacrosse captain at the University of Massachusetts.
“I played sports forever, ever since I can remember,” Burnett said. “To be able to be part of a team again that’s working toward one common goal is what I’ve been doing my whole life. I’ve always been a part of a team. It’s helped me transition into the NFL. When I got to UMass and majored in sports management, I knew I wanted to work in sports in some capacity.
JOHN MINCHILLO/AP