The hiring of Sandra Douglass Morgan as team president by the Raiders last week drew resounding support, with some of the loudest applause coming from Gov. Steve Sisolak.
Morgan became the first Black woman NFL team president in league history with the hiring, which followed Morgan previously becoming the first African American to lead the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
Sisolak appointed Morgan to that control board role and said he couldn’t be prouder of the native Las Vegan as she continues breaking down barriers in various roles.
“I’m a huge fan of Sandra Douglass Morgan,” Sisolak said. “When I made her chair of the Gaming Control Board she was the right person at the right time.”
Raiders owner Mark Davis reached out to Sisolak a few months ago asking his thoughts about Morgan, as he conducted the team’s new president search.
“He called and asked how she was on the board and I couldn’t have anything more kind to say about how talented she is,” Sisolak said. “And I’m proud of her, she’s breaking a glass ceiling for other women that had been in place for a long, long time. And (showing that) women have a chance in sports management in the NFL and at major league professional franchises.”
Davis noted last week that the organization is in the midst of addressing various issues within the front office, and said the work culture had shifted away from its core values amid the relocation from Oakland to Las Vegas.
Sisolak said Morgan is the “perfect fit” for the Raiders to lead the executive side of the team as that process occurs.
“It’s important for them (Raiders) to get it under wraps, but I can tell you this, I know Sandra and she’s a no-nonsense lady,” Sisolak said. “She’s a woman who is not going to take any excuse for an answer. I will guarantee too, stake my reputation, she’s not sweeping anything under the rug. She’s going to get to the bottom of what happened, what is going on there. And the Raiders will continue to be a model franchise for the entire league.”
Contact Mick Akers at [email protected] or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.
