Sandra Douglass Morgan Becomes The First Black Woman President In The NFL With The Las Vegas Raiders

As the new team president, the Las Vegas native is fully stepping into where interim president Dan Ventrelle left off, according to NFL.com. 

In the midst of the historic moment, Morgan took a moment during her introductory presser to speak on aiming to address the current issues in the league. As previously reported by AfroTech, there is an alarmingly low percentage of Black coaches leading teams in the NFL — which led former coaches including Brian Flores to file a lawsuit for alleged “racism in hiring.”

“When Mark and I first discussed this opportunity, I was honored and humbled, but I also had a lot of questions,” Morgan said, according to the outlet. “It’s no secret that this organization has faced some recent challenges. But I want to be clear: I’m not here to sweep anything under the rug or avoid problems or concerns that need to be addressed.”

She continued: “The fact is I accepted this role because I believe in the promise of the Raiders, I believe in the future of the Raiders and I believe in this organization’s tenets of integrity, community and, most of all, commitment to excellence. I believe in the Davis family’s legacy of celebrating and promoting diversity in every sense of that word. I believe in this community that we now call home that has embraced this team with open arms.”

“I am thrilled that Sandra has agreed to join the Raiders family. 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.”

Before signing on as the Raiders’ president, the outlet notes Morgan’s resume includes being the chairwoman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, director of external affairs for AT&T, the city attorney of North Las Vegas, and a litigation attorney for MGM Mirage. 

During her first comments, the new hire made clear that this was far from her intro to holding the weight of being the first in a role. While showing respect to the women who have paved the way to where the underrepresented group’s impact is in sports today, Morgan envisions a time in the near future “where there is no more first.”

“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.”