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As a sports franchise, the Las Vegas Raiders have been true pioneers. With a Black woman becoming their new team president & the first to do so in the NFL, they’ve made history once again with the hire of Sandra Douglass Morgan.
On Thursday (July 7th), the team announced that Sandra Douglass Morgan would become their new president, making her the first Black president woman to hold the role in the National Football League’s history. “I am thrilled that Sandra has agreed to join the Raiders family,” Raiders owner Mark Davis said in a released 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. We are extremely lucky to have her at the helm.”
Morgan is a native of Las Vegas, with an extensive professional resume. She was recently the chairwoman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, having been hired for that role in 2019. Prior to that, she was the city attorney for North Las Vegas making her the first Black person to hold that role in the state of Nevada. Morgan was also a litigation attorney for the MGM Grand Mirage,
At the press conference held at Allegiant Stadium on Thursday, Morgan expressed her happiness and gratitude at being hired for the role.
“We have so much more to do, and I’m excited to be at the helm of that growth and look forward to ushering in the new chapter for the Raiders,” she said as she sat alongside Davis. “It is not lost on me that this is a critical and defining moment in the NFL. It’s important to me and it is my intention to make a meaningful contribution well beyond the Raiders family.”
Morgan expounded further on the impact her hire has: “I definitely would tip my hat to all of the prior women that were leaders and visionaries, and 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.”
Her hire marks another first for the franchise, which saw Art Shell become the NFL’s first Black head coach since Fritz Pollard in 1990. Amy Trask served as their CEO from 1997 to 2013, being the first woman to ever hold that role.
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Photo: Getty
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