It still doesn't excuse the fact they lied to their own fans. Stan, KD. Both of them did. Hell the only one who didn't lie was Grubman, who actually said the STL plan would fall short. It's one thing to keep it b/w CVC or RSA or w/e, another entirely to treat your fans that way.
I guess, but I don't see why people get so hung up on that aspect of it, as if it's something that is unique to them. So me a person with the ability to communicate, and I'll show you a person who lies when they feel it's necessary (and in some cases just for shits and giggles)... Stan said one thing when he first took over, and we have no way of knowing how sincere he was or wasn't about that. When people get upset that he was looking at LA years prior, was that not expected? Hell, I don't know jack shit about business, but I know that you always have a plan B to whatever you were doing. When I was applying to grad school, I applied to a bunch of schools at the same time, I didn't apply to one, and only after hearing if they were going to accept/deny me plan my next move. I fully expected that Stan had a plan B, plan C, hell probably all the way to a plan Z, why wouldn't he? He put his offer towards St Louis, and if they said no, then he knew he'd need to act quickly on his plan B, because it could close really fast. St Louis said no, he found his site a few weeks later, and made his move.
The idea that Stan would have moved to LA in 10 years regardless doesn't make sense to me, because at that time, AEG and Spanos were deep in negotiations for the Chargers to relocate into Farmers Field next to Staples Center. While they fell apart, there is no way that Kroenke could guarantee that by 2025 he would be able to relocate to Los Angeles, because there was no way he could guarantee that it would be open. Stan most likely had several different plans in mind including renovating the dome, moving to LA, moving to another city, or building a brand new complex in St Louis. Someone as successful as himself always leave themselves with several options.
So while yes, he said he was going to do whatever he could, we don't know how sincere he was when he said that, and we don't know what went through his mind as the situation changed. What we do know is that the situation changed. In terms of Demoff, he was following orders, from both Stan and the NFL. He told the Task Force, CVC, and both the local and state government that the Rams had no intention of remaining in St Louis after they made their move for LA, and all of those entities decided instead to tell the public that they felt they had a chance and inspire hope. You can blame him, but it's just as equally the fault of those as well, as they lied to the fans far more often than he did.
Why would fans of other teams care in the 1st place? They have no worries except their own team. Life goes on for them. I also don't take fan "threats" seriously. Fans also boo the hell out of Roger Goodell during the draft. Then right he goes "the draft has started" all you hear is wild cheers.
I don't think they would either for the most part, but that was always what people said as evidence that the NFL would stop the Rams from moving. The NFL has to use a delicate touch, they need to give themselves as much freedom and flexibility as they can, while maintaining a high level of fan confidence.. If fans are worried that their teams may up and relocate, then they're less likely to spend their money. The NFL wants to let themselves do whatever they want while maintaining the illusion that they have rules to stop themselves. It's all a well choreographed play for the fans.
