The Las Vegas Raiders have made a landmark hiring by naming Sandra Douglass Morgan as team president.
The team announced the hiring in a news conference on Thursday shortly after a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Mick Akers. She is the first Black woman to serve as a team president in NFL history.
“It’s my honor to be here today as the newest member of the Raiders family,” Douglass Morgan said while sitting alongside team owner Mark Davis. “It’s the honor of a lifetime to serve as president of this organization.”
HISTORY. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/UZOcFf4rW1
— NFL (@NFL) July 7, 2022
Kim Pegula became the first woman to serve as an NFL team president when she assumed the title with the Buffalo Bills in 2018. Jason Wright became the first Black man to serve as an NFL team president when he accepted the role with the Washington Commanders in 2020.
Douglass Morgan a longtime leader in Las Vegas
An attorney, Douglass Morgan most recently served on the board of directors at Caesars Entertainment and Allegiant Travel Co. She joined the boards in 2021 after serving as the chairwoman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board from 2019-20, where she helped guide Las Vegas gaming through the COVID-19 pandemic. She previously worked as commissioner of the Nevada Gaming Commission and as the North Las Vegas city attorney.
Per the Review-Journal, Douglass Morgan has already addressed Raiders employees in an internal memo while acknowledging the turmoil surrounding the franchise.
“Let me be clear — I am not here to avoid or sidestep problems or concerns that need to be addressed,” the memo reads. “I’ve given long and thoughtful consideration to joining you, and I’ve done so because I believe in the promise of the Raiders.
“Most importantly, I believe in your core values of integrity, community, and commitment to excellence. I will expect you to embody those and to hold me accountable to doing the same.”
Douglass Morgan replaces previous Raiders president Dan Ventrelle, who was fired in May without explanation from the team. Ventrelle later said that he lost his job in retaliation for raising concerns about a hostile work environment under Davis. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed that the league was “aware of” and investigating the allegations and takes them “very seriously.”
During the season, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden resigned after emails leaked showing the longtime NFL coach using anti-gay, misogynist and racist language. The emails are reportedly part of a larger trove of 650,000 emails included in an NFL investigation into alleged workplace misconduct of the then-Washington Football Team under owner Dan Snyder. Gruden has since sued the league and commissioner Roger Goodell alleging a malicious and orchestrated campaign to end his career while citing the email leaks.
The Raiders will enter the upcoming season with a new team president in Douglass Morgan, a new general manager in David Ziegler and a new head coach in Josh McDaniels.
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