NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders name Sandra Morgan as First Black Team President
The Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday named Sandra Douglass Morgan as their new team president. She is the first Black woman to serve as an NFL team president in league history.
Morgan is a Las Vegas native who joins the Raiders after 20 years as an attorney. She was the first Black chairperson in Nevada Gaming Control Board history. She is married to former NFL player Don Morgan, and they have two sons.
NHL’s San Jose Sharks Name Mike Grier as First Black General Manager
The San Jose Sharks on Wednesday named Mike Grier the fifth general manager in franchise history. Grier played for the Sharks from 2006-2009 and is the National Hockey League’s first Black general manager.
Grier, 47, played 14 seasons in the NHL as a top defensive forward. He has been an NHL hockey player, scout, coach and executive. Prior to the Sharks GM position, he was the New York Rangers’ hockey operations adviser.
His brother Chris has been general manager of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins since 2016.
WNBA Star Brittney Griner Pleads Guilty in Russian Court
WNBA star Brittney Griner appeared in a Russian court on Thursday and pled guilty bringing hashish oil into Russia “inadvertently.”
The 31-year-old Phoenix Mercury star was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport on Feb. 17 after being arrested for having vape cartridges in her suitcase. Her trial began on July 1st. On Thursday she told the court that she packed vape cartridges accidentally and did not intend to break Russian law.
“I’d like to plead guilty, your honor. But there was no intent. I didn’t want to break the law,” Griner reportedly told the judge in English, which was then translated into Russian for the court.
Griner, a 2X Olympic gold medalist and Houston, Texas native will next appear at a court hearing scheduled for July 14. Griner faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
-Dorothy J. Gentry
