Report: Browns May Interview Condoleezza Rice for Head Coach Opening

The Browns have a compelling head coach opening and earlier this week GM John Dorsey indicated he would cast a very wide net to find a suitable replacement for Hue Jackson.

“I just want the best possible head coach to move this thing forward regardless of age,” Dorsey told reporters. “It could be a woman, too. Do not look at me like that. I am serious. Who knows? We will look at everything is what I am trying to tell you all.”

Well, Dorsey apparently meant it because ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the Browns are considering interviewing former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for the job. Rice was also a national security advisor and currently serves as a professor of political science at Stanford University.

Rice would, of course, be the first woman to interview for a head coaching job. There are currently two full-time entry level female coaches in the NFL  – the 49ers’ Katie Sowers and the Raiders’ Kelsey Martinez.

Rice, a lifelong Browns fan, has previously expressed interest in being NFL commissioner. She currently serves on the College Football Playoff selection committee.

As a candidate, Rice is as unconventional as it gets, never having played or coached football. But she clearly possesses a special background and skill set that no NFL other coaching candidate could match.

Whether Dorsey is taking Rice seriously or just looking for some positive publicity is unknown. But at the very least, the Rice news is further confirmation that we’re in a new era where women are integrated into football in much deeper ways than being cheerleading accessories.