The Las Vegas Raiders new President Sandra Douglass Morgan and defensive end Maxx Crosby during a news conference at Allegiant Stadium, Thursday, July 7, 2022. Brian Ramos
Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022 | 2 a.m.
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Sandra Douglass Morgan is one of us.
Her dad was stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, and her mom was keno runner at some of the city’s most beloved properties, the old Showboat and Imperial Palace.
Now she’s one of the guiding forces of the Las Vegas Raiders, after being hired this summer as the team’s president.
It’s been a fast-moving two months on the job for Douglass Morgan, who is no stranger to being in the public eye in her hometown.
The Eldorado High School graduate is a former member of the Nevada Gaming Commission, chairwoman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, board of directors member for Caesars Entertainment and commissioner for the Nevada Athletic Commission.
“My mother worked swing shift and worked holidays,” Morgan said last month at a diversity town hall at Wynn Las Vegas. “We’d celebrate Christmas, but usually before Christmas. As the daughter of someone who was a keno runner at casinos, being appointed to the (Gaming Commission) was something that was a huge source of pride for my mother.”
Douglass Morgan touched on a variety of issues in her comments at the town hall, including being the first Black woman to serve as an NFL franchise president. Here are some highlights:
Doing what’s best for the Raiders
Morgan doesn’t spend much time ruminating about how she’s a trailblazer in the league — though she’s constantly asked about it.
And it’s not the initial time she’s broken barriers.
She was also the first Black city attorney in Nevada history when in 2013 North Las Vegas hired her for that position. And at Caesars, she was one of just a handful of Blacks serving on the board of directors of a major Strip casino company.
“You don’t want to be seen as this is the position you’re getting because of your race, gender, religion or orientation,” said Morgan, a graduate of UNR and the Boyd School of Law at UNLV. “You’re getting the position because you’re qualified; you just happen to maybe look a little different or come from a nontraditional sect, but that doesn’t take away from your value with the position.”
With that said, Morgan was aware of what she might represent for many.
“I don’t listen to it,” Morgan said. “I just move forward and do a good job and do what’s best for the Raiders. My work will speak for itself, but I also encourage people to be inclusive and be a good ally for people.”
Raiders history of inclusion
Decades ago, former Raiders owner Al Davis, the late father of current owner Mark Davis, referred to a “Commitment to Excellence” that he expected people in the organization to have.
Morgan said the history of the team also included instances where the elder Davis and others publicly worked toward diversity and inclusion.
Morgan didn’t realize until after she accepted the job that Al Davis had supported a boycott of the 1965 American Football League all-star game in New Orleans after players arrived in the city because of racist acts they encountered.. The game was moved to Houston after the players and Davis, then coach and general manager of the Raiders, spoke out about the injustices.
Davis alsotapped Tom Flores as the team’s starting quarterback in 1960, the AFL’s inaugural year, making him the first Latino to start at quarterback in a professional football league. Flores later went on to become a Hall of Fame coach for the Raiders.
In 1989, Davis hired the modern NFL’s first Black head coach, Art Shell, for what was then the Los Angeles Raiders.
“The Raiders have a rich history on diversity and inclusion,” Morgan said. “For Al Davis to make that move in 1965, that was incredibly bold. Even though I never had a chance to meet him, I think part of his legacy and that ‘Raider Way’ is also about giving people opportunities and maybe finding those non-traditional candidates.”
Don’t worry about checking the boxes
Morgan said she prides herself on taking positions that place her out of her comfort zone.
She said she noticed that women sometimes didn’t take the time to pursue a certain job unless they “check every box” of a job requirements listing.
“I tell people to go ahead and try it because they’ll learn from that experience,” she said. “I had to challenge myself to try this job. I think we have to go into situations optimistic believing that it will work. There are studies that show women are less likely to apply for a position if they don’t hit all those boxes. I want to say don’t worry about hitting those boxes.”
Raising value
In her role, Morgan doesn’t make player personnel decisions, but rather is responsible for other aspects of the franchise’s business.
One of her main tasks in the role, she said, is to help increase the franchise’s value. According to this year’s annual Forbes report that lists the most valuable NFL franchises, the Raiders are worth about $5.1 billion — the ninth most valuable franchise in the 32-team NFL.
It’s not likely the Raiders will catch the most valuable NFL franchise anytime soon — the Dallas Cowboys are valued at over $8 billion, according to Forbes — but moving to Las Vegas in 2020 has raised the team’s profile on the balance sheet.
“We want to make sure we’re retaining fans in Oakland and Los Angeles and everywhere else, but we also want people growing up in Las Vegas to know we’re here,” Morgan said. “Of course, I want to help increase the value of the team and increase revenue from events at the stadium. Personally, I also want to make sure everyone in our organization and doing business with the Raiders knows that they’re partnering with an organization that believes in them and believes in Las Vegas.”
As for results on the field, Morgan said the goal is clear.
“Hopefully, we’ll be playing in the Super Bowl after this season in Arizona and in the 2024 Super Bowl in Las Vegas,” she said.
