Condoleezza Rice would be a great fit for the NFL’s top job, according to former University of Alabama and NFL quarterback Scott Hunter.

“If the NFL Commissioner (Roger Goodell) loses the confidence of enough owners due to his recent perceived poor handling of two domestic abuse cases, he could be asked to retire if there is a quality candidate such as Condi Rice (ready to take his place),” Hunter said.

Rice has received some attention in the last week as a possible replacement for Goodell. In a 2002 interview with the New York Times, Rice, who was at that time George W. Bush’s national security adviser, said she aspired to one day become NFL commissioner.

“I think it would be a very interesting job because I actually think football, with all due respect to baseball, is a kind of national pastime that brings people together across social lines, across racial lines. And I think it’s an important American institution,” she said.

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A few years after the Times interview, Rice went on to become the 66th Secretary of State before leaving government work and proving her football ambitions to be more than just a dream.

As Stanford provost, she “oversaw the university’s athletic budget and was ultimately responsible for hiring the football coach.”

She recently landed a slot on the prestigious College Football Selection Committee, the 13-member panel tasked with choosing the four teams who will participate in the first-ever College Football Playoff. She’s the only female member of the committee.

On Wednesday, the National Organization for Women released a statement calling for Goodell’s resignation and urging his successor to “transform the culture of violence against women that pervades the NFL.”

“The only workable solution is for Roger Goodell to resign, and for his successor to appoint an independent investigator with full authority to gather factual data about domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking within the NFL community, and to recommend real and lasting reforms,” the group said.

In addition to her sterling résumé and experience, Hunter said installing Rice as NFL commissioner could be an important step in helping the league deal with the fallout from women fans and advocacy groups.

“The league is very sensitive to maintaining and growing the interest of women fans and young mothers concerned about concussion issues regarding decisions on their sons participating in youth league and high school football,” Hunter said. “Public relations, integrity of the game, and quality of the competition are all important parts of the NFL’s success and any damage to at least two of those will draw a reaction from the owners.”

Hunter played under coach Paul “Bear” Bryant at Alabama before being drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1971. He played 8 seasons in the NFL and since 1981 has been a member of the NFL Retired Players Association, of which he is a past president.

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