Hapless NFL Team Reportedly Wants To Interview Condoleezza Rice For Head Coach Job
The Cleveland Browns are in need of a new head coach.
To say former coach Hue Jackson, he of a sterling 3-36-1 record in Cleveland, was an underwhelming leader of the Browns would be putting it mildly.
It would also be putting it mildly that the Browns, after years of being a hapless and pathetic NFL team, are in need of a major shakeup.
According to an ESPN report, shakeups don’t get much bigger than this.
The Browns, mired in what could be gently described as one of the worst 20-year runs in NFL history, are reportedly wanting to interview former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to guide the moribund franchise.
While there is absolutely no guarantee that Rice would get the job, even a mere interview would be groundbreaking. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, an interview for Rice would be the first time a female has ever interviewed for a head coaching position in the NFL.
Some Twitter users were stunned that the Browns were considering such a move.
This has to be a joke
— Heat 3x (@Jbazo5D) November 18, 2018
As ESPN notes, Rice’s potential interview comes during a time where more and more women are snagging positions in the NFL.
The Buffalo Bills hired Kathryn Smith as a quality control assistant. The Oakland Raiders hired Kelsey Martinez to their strength staff. The San Francisco 49ers hired Katie Sowers as an offensive assistant.
While more women are getting jobs on NFL staffs, none have even sniffed a head coaching job.
A cynical view would be that the Browns are floating Rice’s name out there purely as a publicity stunt. But there does seem to be a genuine interest, or at the very least admiration, from both sides.
“She’s an amazing person,” an unnamed Browns source told ESPN.
For Rice’s part, she’s a noted Cleveland Browns fan, dating back to her youth when she watched Browns games with her father growing up in Alabama.
Rice is certainly not a football neophyte. She was one of the inaugural members of the College Football Playoff committee.
Whether or not that can translate to being an NFL head coach remains to be seen.
To be clear, ESPN notes that this is far from a done deal and there is no guarantee that Rice even is granted an interview.
No matter what happens, Browns fans are hoping they won’t have to clamor for Rice to jump into Lake Erie.
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