Who is Condoleeza Rice? Former Browns HC candidate to guest star on ManningCast

Tonight’s ManningCast will feature Condoleeza Rice as one of the four guests. The former U.S. Secretary of State will headline a panel that includes former NFL coach Bill Parcells, comedian Kevin Hart, and former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman.

Rice is currently the director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Before serving as secretary of state to President George W. Bush from 2005 to 2009, Condoleeza Rice was also the national security adviser for his administration from 2001 to 2005.

The ManningCast has had a diverse list of guests this season, including former and current NFL players, coaches, PGA golfers, and NBA players. Condoleeza Rice will be the first guest with no significant roots in the NFL or professional sports, but she is active in the sports community and has considerable influence in the world of sports.

Former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to guest star on ManningCast

In 2018, Cleveland Browns general manager John Dorsey commented that he was open to hiring a woman as the Browns’ next head coach. If Cleveland had formally interviewed Condoleeza Rice, she would have become the first woman to interview for a head coaching position in the NFL.

In 2018, Rice posted on social media professing her fandom of the Cleveland Browns and also hoped that the NFL would seriously consider bringing women into coaching positions. She also jokingly offered to provide the Browns with ideas for plays if they needed her advice for the upcoming season.

Since her social media post in 2018, the NFL has seen more women hired for important coaching positions. Currently, there are 12 female assistant coaches in the NFL with positions as high as an assistant offensive coach (Sophia Lewin, Buffalo Bills) and chief of staff (Callie Brownson, Cleveland Browns).

Condoleeza Rice has other significant ties to the sporting world. In 2012, Augusta National Golf Club admitted Rice and South Carolina financier Darla Moore were the first women to be members of the prestigious golf club.

From 2013 to 2016, Rice was an inaugural member of the College Football Playoff selection committee. She also recently chaired a commission on college basketball that advised and recommended significant rule changes to the sport.

Outside the political arena, Condoleeza Rice has undoubtedly been involved in professional sports, from the NFL to golf to college football. That being said, if she runs for president and loses the national election, she could blame it on the ManningCast curse.