The Las Vegas Raiders recently announced the appointment of Sandra Douglass Morgan, making her the first Black woman to serve as a team president in the NFL’s history.
With her new role, Douglass Morgan is in charge of overseeing business operations and will act as a leader for the team. She assumes the position two months after the interim team president, Dan Ventrelle, vacated the role; according to Ventrelle, he was dismissed because he spoke to the NFL against the “hostile work environment” of the Raiders’ organization. Currently, the Raiders are still involved in ongoing cases, including one by the city of Oakland for the team’s move to Las Vegas.
“It is the honor of a lifetime to join the Raiders at one of the most defining times in the team’s history,” Douglass Morgan said in a statement. “This team’s arrival in Las Vegas has created a new energy and opportunities we never dreamed possible. I look forward to taking this team’s integrity, spirit and commitment to excellence on the field into every facet of this organization.”
Prior to joining the NFL, Douglass Morgan held roles such as the chairwoman for the Nevada Gaming Control Board, a Nevada government agency that regulates gaming in the state, and worked for the City of North Las Vegas. As part of this position, she earned the title of the “first Black city attorney in Nevada.”
Douglass Morgan has also held positions as part of the Of Counsel at Covington & Burling LLP and as the Independent Director for both Caesars Entertainment, Inc. and Allegiant.
In addition to becoming the first Black woman to act as team president, with the new appointment, she becomes the third woman to hold the position.
Before Douglass Morgan, in 2014, businesswoman and the co-owner of the Buffalo Bills, Kim Pegula, assumed the position of team president for the team.
Earlier this year, Kristi Coleman became the second-ever woman in NFL history to serve as team president. After working for the Carolina Panthers for the last eight years as a director of finance and chief financial officer, Coleman was promoted to the position after the departure of former team president Tom Glick.
Douglass Morgan also becomes the third-ever Black person to hold this position in the NFL’s 100-year history. In 2020, businessman Jason Wright was hired to be the team president for the Washington Football Team while, in 2022, attorney Sashi Brown was appointed the role for the Baltimore Ravens.
“I am thrilled that Sandra has agreed to join the Raiders family,” Mark Davis, the owner of the Raiders, in a statement. “Her experience, integrity and passion for this community will be invaluable to our organization. From the moment I met Sandra, I knew she was a force to be reckoned with.”
