Former Nevada Gaming Control Board chairwoman Sandra Douglass Morgan will be named the Raiders’ new president Thursday, making her the first Black woman to assume such a role in the NFL.
Morgan’s hiring was announced to Raiders employees via a letter obtained by the Review-Journal.
“I am thrilled to join you as we embark on one of the most exciting times in the history of our organization,” Morgan said in the letter. “I look forward to meeting each of you in person over the coming weeks.”
Morgan, who was the first African American to serve as Control Board chair from 2019-2021, will begin her new role immediately. Morgan is the third woman and third African American to be president of an NFL team.
A news conference officially announcing her hiring is expected Thursday afternoon at Allegiant Stadium. The president role has been vacant since early May when then interim president Dan Ventrelle was fired by the team. Ventrelle claims the move was made in retaliation for him alerting the NFL to a hostile work environment within the organization.
“Let me be clear – I am not here to avoid or sidestep problems or concerns that need to be addressed,” Morgan said. “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 to doing the same.”
The Raiders are no stranger to breaking color and gender barriers in the NFL. The team hired Tom Flores, the league’s first Hispanic starting quarterback, as the first Hispanic head coach and hired Art Shell as the first Black head coach of the modern NFL era. The Raiders also made Amy Trask the first female CEO in league history.
Tumultuous time for Raiders
Morgan takes over the team at a time when there has been significant turnover in the front office. Two presidents and multiple longtime executives have all left the organization in less than a year.
There have also been reports of a hostile work environment occurring within the Raiders organization.
In her nearly two years at the helm of the Control Board, Morgan ushered in cashless wagering regulations and ensured that all gaming licensees adopted policies prohibiting discrimination and harassment.
Morgan has a long history in Nevada outside of her role with the Control Board.
Last year Morgan was named vice chair of the Las Vegas Super Bowl host committee and was appointed to the board of directors of Allegiant Travel Co., parent company of Allegiant Air, the naming rights partner of the Raiders home Allegiant Stadium.
Morgan served as director of external affairs for AT&T Services Inc. from 2016 to 2019, overseeing the company’s local government, legislative and community affairs work in Nevada.
Prior to that Morgan spent eight years with the city of North Las Vegas, including serving as city attorney from 2013 to 2016. Before that she also served as litigation attorney for MGM Mirage, presently known as MGM Resorts International.
Prior to chairing the Control Board, Morgan served on the Nevada Gaming Commission and the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Breaking barriers
Her new role with the Raiders won’t be the first time she has broken barriers in a distinguished career that began after she earned her Bachelor of Arts in political science from University of Nevada, Reno and a juris doctor from Boyd Law School at UNLV. Morgan was the first African-American city attorney in the state of Nevada when she filled that position in North Las Vegas.
She was then the first African American and second female chair of the Control Board.
Upon accepting that appointment, one of her stated missions was ensuring traditionally underrepresented groups had a presence in all levels of the gaming sector.
Part of her oversight responsibilities included sports betting at a pivotal time when the state was still dealing with the integration of major league franchises and the expansion of legalized betting into new markets across the country.
That long history and the challenges that came with it will carry over to her new role. From helping deal with the recession while with North Las Vegas, to having to shut down and then reopen resorts during the height of the pandemic, Morgan has plenty of experience to draw from.
Morgan has deep roots in Las Vegas. She moved to the city when she was 2 years old and her father retired at Nellis Air Force Base. Her mother worked in the gaming industry when she was growing up.
Morgan’s husband Don, played in the NFL between 1999-2002, with stints with the Minnesota Vikings and the Arizona Cardinals. That history adds an extra bit of excitement within their household to her new role.
“The Raiders have a long legacy of greatness, because of each of you and because of visionaries like Mark’s (Davis) father, Al,” Morgan wrote. “Let’s carry that spirit forward together into this new season for Raider Nation and the Las Vegas community.”
Contact Mick Akers at [email protected] or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter. Staff writer Adam Hill contributed to this report.
