By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
He sat courtside next to Raiders/Aces owner Mark Davis Sunday evening, cheering the Las Vegas Aces to a win over the Seattle Storm. In fact, super sports fan Gov. Steve Sisolak was punching the air above him in celebration at the end of game when the Davis-owned Aces polished off Seattle, 85-74.
Sisolak is also quite aware of the maelstrom swirling around the Raiders headquarters in Henderson. Davis fired team president Dan Ventrelle last week, with Ventrelle countering he was terminated from the NFL franchise in a retaliatory move because he reported hostile work environment problems at the Raiders to the league to investigate.
Sisolak declined to discuss the Ventrelle firing at the Raiders with LVSportsBiz.com, simply saying there are “some issues they’re dealing with.”
Those “issues,” as the governor put it, have caught the attention of big national media like the New York Times and HBO’s Real Sports, which are on the trail of the Raiders’ latest drama.
A big supporter of subsidizing the construction of the Raiders’ stadium, Sisolak said the Raiders unsettled situation in the front office was not an “upheaval.”
Ventrelle, who was elevated from team counsel to interim president in July 2021 when former president Marc Badain left, unleashed a haymaker of an allegation. Here’s the meat of his statement: “. . . multiple written complaints from employees that Mark created a hostile work environment and engaged in other potential misconduct caused me grave concern. When Mark was confronted about these issues, he was dismissive and did not demonstrate the warranted level of concern. Given this, I informed the NFL of these issues and of Mark’s unacceptable response . . . ”
LVSportsBiz.com asked Davis about these allegations.
He was adamant about not offering a comment. “Don’t even say I have no comment.”
Ventrelle has not publicly outlined the “written complaints.”
Besides Ventrelle’s departure, the Raiders’ front office also saw Human Resources VP Jaime Stratton and Chief Operations & Analytics Officer Jeremy Aguero move on.
But Davis’ record of supporting women is evident at the Aces franchise, which has women serving as team president (Nikki Fargas), general manager (Natalie Williams), head coach (Becky Hammon), Chief Business Development Officer (Jennifer Azzi), Chief Marketing and Communications Officer (Blair Hardiek) and Vice President of Brand Marketing (Deandra Duggans). Even Sisolak’s daughter, Carley Sisolak, works for the Aces as their marketing director.
Davis is also building a training facility for the Aces near the Raiders headquarters in Henderson. It should be noted that Davis appointed close friend and CPA Larry Delsen as the Aces’ CEO. And Delsen’s son, Matt, is the Aces chief financial officer.
Hammon, a high-profile former assistant coach for the NBA San Antonio Spurs, recently told a radio host that Davis’ commitment to women was the real deal.
Davis told LVSportsBiz.com of the women staffers in the Aces front office: “We were picking the best people and the results will speak for themselves.”
Over at the Raiders in 2021, Davis coped with major turmoil as former coach and close friend Jon Gruden resigned amid an email scandal and former first round draft pick Henry Ruggs III killed an innocent woman in a car crash that resulted in a DUI resulting in death charge against Ruggs and his dismissal from the NFL team.
Ventrelle said he retained a lawyer and is not discussing his allegations. But they hover above the Raiders front office as the team moves forward with new leadership on the playing field.
PSA