Raiders
Photo Credit: Las Vegas Raiders

New FSM Feature: The Raiders Once Again Make History

Franchise Sports Media

 

Sandra Douglass Morgan Makes NFL History as Raiders’ New Team President

The Las Vegas Raiders shared as recently as a week ago that they would soon announce their next team president, and on Thursday afternoon that a decision was made public.

Sandra Douglass Morgan, an experienced attorney and former Chairwoman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, now becomes the first African-American woman ever to serve as President of an NFL franchise.

“I am thrilled that Sandra has agreed to join the Raiders family,” said Raiders owner Mark Davis. “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. We are extremely lucky to have her at the helm.”

A Las Vegas native, Morgan has long been a trailblazer and was the first person of color to serve as chair of the Nevada Gaming Control Board and the first African-American City Attorney in the State of Nevada. Morgan was most recently with the law firm Covington & Burling, LLP, and previously served as the City Attorney for the City of North Las Vegas. Before that, she served as a litigation attorney for an international gaming and hospitality company.

“It is the honor of a lifetime to join the Raiders at one of the most defining times in the team’s history,” said Morgan. “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.”

Morgan replaces former interim president Dan Ventrelle, who was relieved of his position in May.

 

Who is Sandra Douglass Morgan?

 

  • Counsel, Covington & Burling LLP (2021-present)
  • Chairwoman, Nevada Gaming Control Board (2019-20)
  • Director of External Affairs, AT&T (2016-19)
  • North Las Vegas City Attorney’s Office (2008-16)
  • Served as City Attorney from 2013-16
  • Litigator, MGM Resorts (2005-08)
  • Board of directors member at Caesars Entertainment, Allegiant, Fidelity National Financial, & Cerberus Sentinel
  • JD, University of Nevada-Las Vegas Boyd School of Law (2003)

 

Dawn of a new day for Raider Nation

 

Raiders
Photo Credit: Las Vegas Raiders

“I am thrilled to join you as we embark on one of the most exciting times in the history of our organization,” Morgan wrote in a letter to the Raiders organization. “I look forward to meeting each of you in person over the coming weeks.

“When Mark and I first discussed this opportunity, I was honored and humbled, but I also had a lot of questions,” Morgan explained during her introductory presser Thursday. “It’s no secret that this organization has faced some recent challenges.  But Let me be clear – I am not here to avoid or sidestep problems or concerns that need to be addressed.

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 for doing the same.”

“I have been the first in other positions that I’ve held, whether it be city attorney or the Gaming Control Board. I definitely never want to be the last, and I want to get to a point obviously where there is no more first,” Morgan said Thursday. “But as I kind of mentioned in my comments, the impact that this has is not lost on me. I definitely would tip my hat to all of the prior women that were leaders and visionaries. If I could be an inspiration or help or open doors for any other woman and girl out there, then that’s an incredible accomplishment for me.”

Morgan’s comments allude to a series of controversies that have plagued the Raiders organization, including the ousting of head coach Jon Gruden over a series of inappropriate leaked emails and the firing of Ventrelle — who replaced former president Marc Badin who resigned after 30 years with the organization in various roles, a move that came as a major surprise in July 2021.

The Raiders have a history of hiring people from historically excluded groups. When Art Shell was hired as the team’s head coach in 1989, he was the first African-American head coach in NFL history. The Raiders also hired Super Bowl champion and NFL Hall of Famer Tom Flores as the first Hispanic head coach in NFL history. Longtime Raiders executive Amy Trask was the first woman to be CEO of an NFL franchise.

 

On Thursday, Mark Davis once again made history and lived up to the Raiders’ long-time history of hiring the best person for the job regardless of race, color, or gender. Kudos to Mark Davis and the Raiders for being at the forefront of equal rights.

 

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-Joe Arrigo– Franchise Sports Media

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