IMO the only "unconventional" part is the apparent 2-step process for transferring the team. The fact that the Coyotes will "exist in limbo" is irrelevant until/unless a new team lands in the Phoenix area. If a team comes back, it could be the Coyotes. Or the Cactus Wrens. Or the Armadillos. Or whatever. And, it could have the same colors or completely new ones. Whatever the next owner wants.
The Washington Redskins Football Team Commanders, a longtime staple of the NFL, finally buckled under Dan Snyder's ownership. A franchise with a sellout streak dating back to 1968, that once had a season ticket waiting list at least well into the 5 digits (6 digits if you believed the team), saw that sellout streak finally end (which for years it was being propped up, much like Nebraska's football sellout streak has been) and that waiting list dropped to 0.
That's not because Washington won't support an NFL team. It's that Washington won't support an NFL team run by a narcissistic asshat that lets the team plummet toward the bottom of the league and his only concern is how can I squeeze more money out of everyone else for my own enrichment? If Washington responded like that, it's naive for anyone to think far less established markets with far less established teams would respond better.
