Las Vegas Raiders Appoint Sandra Douglass Morgan As New President

The Las Vegas Raiders have named Sandra Douglass Morgan president, making her the first black woman to hold the role in the National Football League.

Ms. Morgan previously worked as a North Las Vegas prosecutor and was also the first person of color to serve as chair of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, according to Raiders. She is from Las Vegas.

in the released a video with her new role, Ms. Morgan said she wants to get to a point where there are no more firsts. “If I could be an inspiration or a help or open doors for other women and girls out there, that’s an incredible achievement for me,” she said.

She added that like the gambling industry, the sport is male-dominated. “We need to keep breaking down those barriers,” she said.

Ms. Morgan is tasked with stabilizing an NFL team that has been rocked by instability.

The team hired her to manage the franchise less than a year after former Raiders coach Jon Gruden retired. Years of emails that Gruden sent using a racist trope and anti-gay language have surfaced in connection with an NFL investigation into the team, now called the Washington Commanders. Mr. Gruden, who had been one of the NFL’s most prominent coaches, apologized. “I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone,” he said in a statement as he stepped down.

Ms. Morgan with Mark Davis, owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

The team has seen more turnover since then, including former Raiders president Dan Ventrelle, who leave May. Mr Ventrelle said he was sacked after raising concerns about a hostile working environment. The NFL examined the team’s workplace culture on Friday, according to a league spokesman. A Raiders spokesman declined to comment on the allegations or investigation.

Ms. Morgan is a director of Caesars Entertainment Inc., Allegiant Travel Co. and Fidelity National Financial. She served as chair of the Nevada Gaming Control Board from early 2019 until almost 2020. Before that, she was commissioner of the Nevada Gaming Commission for less than a year, according to her LinkedIn page.

Write to Allison Prang at [email protected] and Andrew Beaton at [email protected]