Who is Kevin Demoff? Los Angeles Rams COO's role in the St. Louis relocation lawsuit
Los Angeles Rams Chief Operating Officer (COO) Kevin Demoff is now a key part of the ongoing lawsuit filed by the city of St. Louis against the NFL in regards to the move of the Rams football team.
The city of St. Louis believes there was fraudulent activity in the arrangements for the Rams' move to Los Angeles. The court ruled that financial documents from several key players in the lawsuit are to be submitted for review.
What was Kevin Demoff's role in the Rams' move to Los Angeles?
It appears there were some mitigating factors that pushed the Rams' move from St. Louis to Los Angeles. The lawsuit filed against the NFL by the City of St. Louis suggests that there was a financial contribution involved in the league's decision to allow the move.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, as well as five NFL team owners - including Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Rams owner Stan Kroenke, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, New York Giants owner John Mara, and former Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson - were all directed to submit their financial documents.
The reason these documents were requested is mainly due to the potential outcome of the case. St. Louis is suing the league for millions of dollars in damages suffered by losing the Rams to another city. If the judge rules in favor of St. Louis, the wealth of the parties involved in the suspected fraudulent behavior would need to be documented so that when the settlement is announced, the court knows each owner's wealth.
As for Kevin Demoff, it seems that he is quite close to current NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Demoff has his own aspirations of becoming commissioner of the NFL in the future.
When Goodell announced that the Rams would not only move but also host a Super Bowl, Demoff was the one who gave Goodell information about the benefits of doing so.
Rams owner Stan Kroenke had already purchased the land that the stadium would eventually be built on, but both Goodell and Demoff reportedly acted as if they didn't know what would happen with the land, even though they were already made aware of the situation.
As the NFL came to a decision on the Rams' move, Demoff sent emails to the league's offices and Goodell about crime rates in St. Louis, and additional benefits of the move out of the city to help persuade the decision.
While the outcome of this lawsuit won't bring the Rams back to St. Louis, it will reveal the types of discussions and transactions that happen behind the scenes. It also tarnishes Demoff's reputation, which would be quite a blow to his aspirations of eventually taking over from Goodell.