Sandra Douglass Morgan made history today (July 7) as she became the first Black woman in the history of the National Football League to be named president of a club team.
Morgan, former chairwoman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, is now the president of the Las Vegas Raiders. The announcement comes months after Dan Ventrelle was fired (May 6) from his position at the helm of the team. He held the position for less than a year.
Morgan is now only one of three women to ever be named team president. She is also only one of three Black individuals appointed to the position– the others being Jason Wright of the Washington Commanders and Sashi Brown of the Baltimore Ravens. Morgan’s appointment to her previous position also marked the first time a Black individual was named chairperson of the Control Board.
The Raiders have a history of breaking ground as the “first” in the league with its hiring practices. Art Shell became the Raiders first Black head coach in 1989, Amy Trask became the team’s first women CEO in 1997. Tom Flores also made history in 1981 as the first hispanic head coach to lead a team to a Super Bowl victory.
“I’m just extremely excited to be a Las Vegan and to see what the team has done for the community in the last three to four years is just incredible,” Morgan told The Las Vegas Review-Journal of her hiring. “To have the opportunity to lead it to the next chapter of the Raiders is a dream come true for me.”
The NFL is currently embroiled in a discrimination lawsuit launched by former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores. Flores has accused the league of utilizing discriminatory practices when interviewing Black candidates for various team roles. The suit, first filed in February, was later joined by Carolina Panthers coach Steve Wilks, and retired Cleveland Browns coach Ray Horton. Last month (June 21), the league filed a motion to force the case into arbitration.