The Las Vegas Raiders continue to break barriers in the NFL, hiring Sandra Douglass Morgan as the team’s new president Thursday. Douglass Morgan will be the first Black female to hold the position of team president in NFL history. The Raiders will announce Douglass Morgan as the team president in a press conference at Allegiant Stadium.
“I am thrilled to join you as we embark on one of the most exciting times in the history of our organization,” Morgan said to team employees in a letter obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I look forward to meeting each of you in person over the coming weeks.”
The Raiders have broken plenty of barriers in the NFL, employing Tom Flores as the league’s first Hispanic starting quarterback in 1960 — and later Hispanic head coach in 1979. Art Shell was the NFL’s first Black head coach (1989) and Amy Trask was the league’s first female CEO in 1997.
Morgan was vice chair of the Las Vegas Super Bowl host committee prior to her new role with the Raiders. She was also the former chairwoman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, a position she held from 2019 to 2021. Morgan also served as a city attorney for Las Vegas from 2013 to 2016 and as a litigation attorney from MGM International.
The third Raiders team president in less than a year, Morgan will be tasked with stabilizing the Raiders in the midst of complaints of owner Mark Davis and his workplace behavior.
“Let me be clear — I am not here to avoid or sidestep problems or concerns that need to be addressed,” Morgan said in the letter. “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.”
