History reminds that people in Baltimore, Cleveland, Houston, St. Louis and Los Angeles ignored the early signs of an NFL franchise getting ready to uproot long before their teams left town.

Politicians in those cities did what they do, which doesn’t always benefit the public. Opponents and proponents alike did what they do, which doesn’t always inform the public. And the public either went along or never got a say in the matter.

Then one morning …

The Colts were gone from Baltimore.

The Oilers were gone from Houston.

The Cardinals were gone from St. Louis.

The Browns were gone from Cleveland.

The Rams were gone from Los Angeles.

And when all those historic NFL franchises with deep community roots left, people who said the NFL would never allow such a move scattered to the winds.

People who said there was no place to move to anyway didn’t admit they were wrong.

Basically, those who said their teams would never relocate faced no accountability when the teams did exactly that.

This is a fact: NFL teams leave towns when an untenable stadium situation becomes unsustainable and someone comes along with a better offer.

Which brings me to the Miami Dolphins.

No, they are not moving from South Florida while Stephen Ross is the owner. Ross and his right-hand man Dolphins CEO Mike Dee have said on multiple occasions, including Monday, that the Dolphins will never, ever move as long as Ross is alive and owns the team.

But neither Ross, Dee nor any other human on Earth can guarantee this franchise’s long-term permanence in South Florida when the current owner or his estate sells — something that eventually will happen.

“That’s correct,” Dee said.

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