On Thursday, Sandra Douglass Morgan, the first Black woman to hold the position of team president in NFL history, was welcomed by the Las Vegas Raiders.
In a press release from the Raiders on Thursday, Morgan said, “It is the honor of a lifetime to join the Raiders at one of the most pivotal times in the team’s history.”
At the moment, Morgan works as an attorney for Covington and Burling LLP and is a member of the Caesars Entertainment and Allegiant Travel Company boards of directors.
Although she has long made progress in diversifying various bureaucracies in her native state of Nevada, her appointment forges a new path of diverse leadership in the history of the NFL.
She was Nevada’s first Black city attorney for the city of North Las Vegas and the first Black woman to chair the Nevada Gaming Control Board before changing the game in NFL administration.
Just after former team president Dan Ventrelle was fired in May, the Raiders hired Morgan at a difficult time.
His contentious dismissal came after several high-ranking employees left their positions, including chief financial officer Ed Villanueva (18 years with the company) and chief operations and analytics officer Jeremy Aguero (7 months).
In the press release, Raiders owner Mark Davis said, “I am thrilled that Sandra has agreed to join the Raiders family.
In a joint tweet, Davis, Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels, and general manager Dave Ziegler welcomed Morgan to the team.
The Raiders’ administration has undergone a significant change in leadership under Morgan.
The hiring of Amy Trask in 1997, the first female CEO of an NFL team back when the team was still based in Oakland, California, as the team’s CEO, is now considered the first intersectional advancement, casting a shadow over earlier victories.
“Our expectations have been exceeded by the new energy and opportunities brought about by the arrival of this team in Las Vegas. I’m excited to bring this team’s character, spirit, and dedication to excellence off the field into every aspect of this company “Morgan remarked.
