Condoleezza Rice, a former secretary of state, has joined the Denver Broncos ownership group

Rob Walton, heir to Walmart, just welcomed Condoleezza Rice as a partner to the ownership group after purchasing the Broncos for a record $4.9 MILLION, the billionaire said on Monday.

“We’re pleased to welcome former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to our ownership group.”

“A highly respected public servant, accomplished academic and corporate leader, Secretary Rice is well known as a passionate and knowledgeable football fan who has worked to make the sport stronger and better,” Walton wrote.

Rice, a devoted Cleveland Browns fan, served as the 66th Secretary of State of the United States from 2005 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. The College Football Playoff selection committee chose Rice as one of its 13 members in 2013, and she served on the committee until her term ended in 2016.

Despite the initial criticism concerning Rice’s appointment to the committee, it is apparent that Walton’s team believed her experience, combined with the fact that her father was a football coach, made her the right member to join the group.

In fact, Condoleezza had connections to the region before she took control of the Denver Broncos football franchise. Rice’s family relocated to Mile High City when she was 12 years old. Later, CR decided to pursue a doctorate degree at the University of Denver.

Despite her political achievements, Rice is most known for her passionate love and support of the Browns. In fact, her connection to the orange and brown team is so deep that in 2018, there were reports that Cleveland was considering hiring her as the team’s new head coach.

Obviously, it didn’t occur, and the Browns and Rice both denied any claims that Condoleezza would take over play-calling duties for her beloved NFL team.