By Norah Mulinda
The Las Vegas Raiders, grappling with allegations of a hostile work environment, named Sandra Douglass Morgan to be the team’s president, making her the first Black woman to hold that position in the National Football League.
“From the moment I met Sandra, I knew she was a force to be reckoned with,” Raiders owner Mark Davis said Thursday in a statement. “We are extremely lucky to have her at the helm.”
Morgan is known for a number of firsts in her career: She was the first person of color to serve as chair of the Nevada Gaming Control Board and the first African-American city attorney in Nevada. A Las Vegas native, she also served as a litigation attorney at Covington & Burling LLP.
Morgan is taking on a top role at a team that’s been dogged by controversy and turmoil in its senior ranks. Marc Badain resigned as president a year ago, and his interim successor, Dan Ventrelle, was fired in May. Ventrelle later accused the team’s longtime owners, the Davis family, of creating a hostile environment.
“It is the honor of a lifetime to join the Raiders at one of the most defining times in the team’s history,” Morgan said. “I look forward to taking this team’s integrity, spirit and commitment to excellence on the field into every facet of this organization.”
The Washington Commanders became the first NFL team to hire a Black president, appointing Jason Wright in 2020. Morgan is the league’s third female president, following Kim Pegula in Buffalo and Kristi Coleman at the Carolina Panthers.
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