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It's pretty clear now why the Rams decided to move from St. Louis to Los Angeles: They wanted to get closer to their giant fan base of mermaids, and thanks to defensive end William Hayes, the Rams now have the mermaid market cornered.

If you've never heard Hayes' name before, it's probably because you haven't been watching HBO's Hard Knocks. Through two episodes, Hayes has been one of the most fascinating characters in the show, and that's mainly because he laughs at modern science.

For one, Hayes doesn't believe in dinosaurs. Oh, and he also thinks mermaids exist. This is real. Here's a clip of an interview that Rams coach Jeff Fisher gave during a recent episode of Hard Knocks (you can read the full quote under the tweet).


"Will Hayes absolutely believes and is totally convinced that there are mermaids and they do exist, OK," Fisher says. "As a matter of fact, I remember him getting really excited about the potential for moving out here because he knew that would be closer to mermaids here on the West Coast."

Los Angeles-area mermaids clearly caught wind of Hayes' belief because one of them showed up to Rams' practice on Monday, and she immediately got a hug from Hayes.

Here's a better look at Hayes' new mermaid friend.

Hayes really, really, really seemed to enjoy the fact that this mermaid showed up at practice because not only did he give her a pre-practice hug, but he also gave her a hug after practice was over.


If the Rams change their name to the mermaids, now you'll know why.

Also, let this be a warning to everyone: Never underestimate the mermaid fan base.