During ABC's September 13 Monday Night Football coverage of the National Football League's (NFL) Green Bay Packers vs. Carolina Panthers game, play-by-play announcer Al Michaels noted that national security adviser Condoleezza Rice was in attendance and offered an anecdote about her aspirations to one day -- but not for another four years
-- be commissioner of the NFL. Before commenting further, Michaels said, “But we're not supposed to talk anything besides football, so, sorry.”

On September 10, Media Matters for America pointed out that Michaels
-- during ABC's September 9 coverage of the National Football League's (NFL) season opening game -- echoed the Bush-Cheney '04 talking point that Senator John Kerry flip-flops on the issues. MMFA also noted that Michaels has contributed to the Bush-Cheney '04 campaign, that he has a history of pro-conservative commentating, and that his September 9 comment was lauded by radio host Rush Limbaugh.

Michaels and expert analyst John Madden had the following exchange during the September 13 game:

MICHAELS: Condoleezza Rice, the national security adviser, is right there. And she's in town because her father was at Johnson [C.] Smith College [sic: University], and she was delivering a speech there. I read an interview with her a couple of years ago, John, when she talked about what she wanted to do post-government career. She wanted to be the commissioner of the National Football League. I said come to the booth. It's a lot easier. She said now that really sounds like a good idea.

MADDEN: I think there's going to be a job open there for the commissioner of the National Football League in a couple years. I think that [NFL commissioner] Paul Tagliabue signed a new contract, but I think he's only going to be there a couple more years. So if she can just wait a couple years, that job, I think, will be open.

MICHAELS: Well, she hopes it will be four. But we're not supposed to talk anything besides football, so, sorry.