Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL have said they want to right their previous wrongs of discriminating against Black people in terms of achieving higher ranks of employment within the league. On the field, Black starting quarterbacks continue to climb to an all-time high. In the front office this past season, there was also a record number of five Black team presidents within the league.
The five Black team presidents include: Jason Wright with the Washington Commanders, Sandra Douglass Morgan with the Las Vegas Raiders, Damani Leech with the Denver Broncos, Kevin Warren with the Chicago Bears and Sashi Brown with the Baltimore Ravens. A Black team president in the league is a novelty, period, because Wright became the first one to earn such a position less than four years ago in August 2020.
Recently, rolling out caught up with Leech and Warren to get their perspective on available opportunities.
What do you think of the current state of Black leadership in the NFL?
Kevin Warren: I mean, it’s getting better. We have five presidents. It’s good to see a lot of Black coaches get hired this year and GMs. Because why not? We’re going to continually work on it.
I look forward to the having the first Black general partner one day in the NFL. Again, we’re making progress. I know Commissioner Goodell is committed to it, and we just have to continually stay together and push forward.
Damani Leech: I feel really good about it. We have five African American presidents, including myself, Washington and Baltimore.
Here in Las Vegas, Sandra’s crushing and doing a great job this weekend. I’m following along with her on LinkedIn. She’s all over the city, and I’m trying to catch up with her.
Obviously Kevin Warren, who’s our dean. He’s our uncle. He keeps us squared away. So, it feel really good.
Who was the first person who let you know being an NFL team president was possible?
KW: I think the first people were my parents. They exposed me to a lot. They gave me an opportunity to meet people and said I can do anything I set my mind to.
Another person who’s really influenced my life is Ken Chenault. I got a chance to meet him when he was president, CEO of American Express. Sitting in his office, sitting there and seeing him in that chair, I just said, “You know what? If he can do it, he’s a normal, really good guy who’s worked hard, then I could do it also.”
He’s had a great impact on my life in a positive manner.
DL: I think it’s not specific to being the president. I think it’s really about being whatever it is you want to be, and being committed to working hard to doing that. For me, that was my parents. They always instilled in and supported us. They told us if we’re willing to put in the work, we can achieve whatever it is we want. So from a young age, I had that belief.
What is it like being an NFL team president?
DL: It’s great. I love it. I absolutely love it. I really love being a part of the wins. I wish we had more of them, but I love the experience.
