If the idea that the Cleveland Browns were considering a former secretary of state to be their next head coach seemed a bit too out there even for the Browns, that's because it was meant to.
In November of 2018, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Browns had interest in interviewing Condoleeza Rice to be their next head coach, citing a "league source."
The story was quickly shot down by then-Browns general manager John Dorsey, but Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio shed new light Tuesday on the origin of the debunked story:
"And I don't know how many of you are aware of the rest of the story," Florio said Tuesday on PFT OT. "... My understanding of what happened with that report was that John Dorsey, who was the GM of the Browns at the time, was trying to smoke out a rat. And this is what teams will do from time to time. They will leak to specific people in the organization -- who are suspected of being those who blab to reporters -- a false piece of information and wait and see what happens. And the idea that the Browns were considering Condoleeza Rice to be the coach of the team was a deliberate falsehood leaked to someone who was suspected of being a rat, and it got out. And it was a Sunday splash report. And that does happen from time to time."
The story may have allowed the Browns to figure out who was leaking information that they didn't want out there, but it probably also contributed to the circus-like atmosphere around the team. Just over a year later, the Browns dismissed Dorsey as their general manager.
Perhaps more notably, it serves as a blemish on the resumes of Schefter and ESPN, who ran with incorrect information that they had obtained from someone(s) who had likely given them correct nuggets in the past.
In related news, Rice joined the new Denver Broncos ownership group headed by Walmart heir Rob Walton this week.
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