Sandra Douglass Morgan, a Las Vegas attorney, was appointed by the Raiders as their team president on Thursday, making her the first Black woman to hold the role in league history.
Morgan served as the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s first-ever Black chair from 2019 to 2021. She worked at MGM and AT&T before becoming a city attorney. She most recently served as the vice-chair of the committee that organized the Super Bowl in Las Vegas.
In less than a year, the franchise has had three presidents, and Sandra Douglass Morgan assumes the helm at a turbulent time. There have been numerous personnel changes in addition to the Raiders’ relocation from Oakland to Las Vegas in 2020.
President Marc Badain, a longtime member of the front office, abruptly resigned in July 2021. Dan Ventrelle, the interim president, was fired in May. The move, according to Ventrelle, was made in punishment for notifying the NFL about a hostile work environment, he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
After the 2021 season, coach Jon Gruden resigned in October following the publication of emails in which he made homophobic and misogynistic remarks.
“Let me be clear — I am not here to avoid or sidestep problems or concerns that need to be addressed,” Sandra Douglass Morgan said in a letter to employees that was obtained by the Review-Journal.
“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.”
When the Washington Commanders selected Jason Wright for the position as their president in 2020, they became the first NFL franchise to do so. Sandra Douglass Morgan joins Kim Pegula of Buffalo and Kristi Coleman of Carolina as the third female president.
Don, Morgan’s husband, played from 1999 to 2002 for the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals.
