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Cleveland Browns: Interest in Condoleezza Rice legit?

By Randy Gurzi

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 18: Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speaks during a ceremony for the unveiling of her official State Department portrait in the Benjamin Franklin Room at the State Department on June 18, 2014 in Washington, DC. Rice served as State Department secretary from 2005-2009 under President George W. Bush. (Photo by T.J. Kirkpatrick/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 18: Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speaks during a ceremony for the unveiling of her official State Department portrait in the Benjamin Franklin Room at the State Department on June 18, 2014 in Washington, DC. Rice served as State Department secretary from 2005-2009 under President George W. Bush. (Photo by T.J. Kirkpatrick/Getty Images) /
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General manager John Dorsey said he will interview just about anyone for the Cleveland Browns head coaching job, but is the reported interest in Condoleezza Rice real?

Well, maybe John Dorsey was telling the truth when he said the Cleveland Browns will cast a wide net that could include a woman in their search for a head coach in 2019.

Dorsey will lead the search to replace recently fired Hue Jackson and he turned some heads with the comment that a woman could be in line for the job — as long as it was the right person to lead their team into the future.

It felt like he was just speaking anecdotally at the time, but maybe he wasn’t. On Sunday morning reports surfaced that the Browns may be interested in speaking with Condoleezza Rice about the job.

Rice, a former Secretary of State, is a lifelong politician, but she’s also an avid NFL fan and has served on the College Football Playoff selection committee. She’s thrown her name into the hat in the past regarding the NFL Commissioner job but doesn’t have any type of coaching background — which makes it a fair question as to whether or not this reported interest is in fact legitimate.

And some are already questioning it. Former Browns and Philadelphia Eagles front office executive Joe Banner took to Twitter to ask what’s up with the report, and even thinks it could be all about the Browns trying to prove how progressive they are.

"“If Dorsey’s goal is to convince the league that Browns have entered a new era & are a desirable spot this Rice conversation is not helpful. Without saying anything negative he should refute the reports immediately. He has otherwise done a good job of selling the situation” — Joe Banner, via Twitter"

Speculating on why the Browns may be interested isn’t easy. Rice, a Cleveland fan herself, would be a hard sell to this fan base. Not because she is a woman, but because she has never coached and this team is trending upward which means they could have their pick of several qualified head coaching candidates.

Next. Looking at reported potential coach candidates. dark

We also won’t know if there’s any truth to this unless it actually happens. And if it does, she would be the first female to ever interview for an NFL coaching job. It’s worth keeping an eye on, but it still seems like a long shot.

UPDATE: The Browns issued a statement claiming that Rice has not been discussed by the team.

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