Former US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, denies she was ever interested in coaching the Cleveland Browns.
And that is a shame because she offered some sound coaching advice to Eli and Peyton Manning last November.
Rice told the brothers during a Monday Night Football appearance she would “never” call a prevent defense.
Perhaps the Browns’ 1986 collapse in the AFC Championship game was on her mind at the time.
The Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group is pleased to welcome former Secretary of State @CondoleezzaRice to its ownership group.
Statement » pic.twitter.com/yqVHrPhC2M
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) July 11, 2022
And for sure, the Denver Broncos have been on her mind since then.
Today, the Walton-Penner family added Cleveland’s famous fan to the Denver Broncos ownership group.
Rice moved to Denver from Alabama with her family at the age of 13.
But she remained a huge Cleveland Browns fan, following in her father’s footsteps.
Is Rice Still a Browns Fan?
It would take more than partial ownership in another team and fancy words to take the Browns fan out of someone.
And Rice’s recent discussion with Marla Ridenhauer of the Akron Beacon Journal validates her status.
Rice was quick to relate how, as an 8-year-old, she was incensed about the firing of Paul Brown.
Condoleezza Rice, a life-long Browns fan, had a strong reaction when Cleveland owner Art Modell fired Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown in 1963. https://t.co/x0Gd5p7vVl
— USA TODAY Sports+ (@USATSportsPlus) July 10, 2022
So much so that she tore all the Browns posters off her bedroom walls and rooted for the Bengals for a short time.
“A very little while,” Rice said. “When the Browns came back, I was all-in again.”
Like most Browns fans, she had to think a little about her favorite Browns victory.
Cleveland’s 2020 wild-card victory finally won out, before another admission proved she is a true Browns fan.
That was when she admitted to worrying when the Browns went up 28-0.
Condoleezza Rice: NFL Owner
While appearing on the Manning Brothers’ Monday Night Football show, Rice admitted she didn’t want to coach.
But she also had a lot of positive words about the expanding role of women in the NFL.
“I’m really glad to see women in the front offices of the NFL. That’s a wonderful breakthrough,” she said. “(Next) is to see if women can find their way into position (coaching jobs). You do not have to have played this game to understand it and coach it well.”
Cleveland’s Callie Brownson added assistant wide receivers coach to her duties this season.
Last night was the first football broadcast in history where the Manning brothers asked asked Condoleezza Rice about that time Adam Schefter said might be the next coach of the Browns right after Daniel Jones threw a terrible interception https://t.co/KQtp2xUrEo pic.twitter.com/FObZYFFChi
— Dan McQuade (@dhm) November 23, 2021
Andrew Berry also hired Catherine Raiche as an assistant GM and vice president of football operations.
Perhaps Ms. Rice has more influence than she knows with the Browns’ leadership as a big fan.
But now she gets to jump into the fray of NFL leadership herself as a partial owner of the Broncos.
Even though we know she’ll be rooting for the other orange team in the AFC.
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