When Sandra Douglass Morgan became the first Black woman in National Football League history to be hired as a team president, it proved that leaders look different in an overwhelmingly male-dominated field.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Las Vegas native and Raiders President Douglass Morgan reflected on her trailblazing position as it amplifies her responsibilities to show leadership and honors her community.
Growing up, Douglass Morgan admired Emmy and Peabody-winning journalist Connie Chung for breaking barriers for women in journalism. Now she is taking on an esteemed position, driving impact, and making history.
“You know, there’s a responsibility, I think, not only within the organization but also externally, and I have personally had to kind of push myself to realize that, you know, those Connie Chung moments for me as a child, you know, could be someone’s moments for another little girl or a teenager or even maybe an adult woman seeing me in the position that I’m in now and realizing that people do–it’s helpful to see someone in that position to know this is an opportunity, this is a possibility for me,” Douglass Morgan said in the interview.
Before the season, Douglass Morgan attended a Raiders event at Allegiant Stadium for season ticket holders. There, she realized how much her role has had a tangible impact on people outside of the organization.
“Hey, we’ve been season ticket holders in Oakland, we’re happy to be in Las Vegas and I’m just really happy to meet you because my daughter for the first time said, ‘Hey, I can be the president of the Raiders,’” Douglass Morgan recalled a gentleman saying when he approached her, per The Athletic.
“It’s just giving people that hope and visibility and optimism that this is something that’s attainable. … And so, if me even talking to you today allows one person, one girl, one woman to think, ‘OK, I didn’t know that was a position that’s something that I could strive for,’ then that’s the goal I think in life: To continue to pay it forward,” she continued.