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Thom Loverro

Thom Loverro

tloverro@washingtontimes.com

Thom Loverro has been a professional journalist since 1977, working for a number of newspapers, including eight years as a news editor and reporter for The Baltimore Sun, where he covered government, politics, and crime. He moved into sports writing when he joined The Washington Times in 1992. He moved to The Washington Examiner as a sports columnist in 2009 and returned to The Washington Times in 2013, where he is currently the lead sports columnist.

Columns by Thom Loverro

FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020, file photo, Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder listens to head coach Ron Rivera during a news conference at the team's NFL football training facility, in Ashburn, Va. The NFL has fined the Washington Football Team $10 million and owner Dan Snyder is stepping away from day-to-day operations after an independent investigation into the organization’s workplace misconduct. The team was not stripped of any draft picks as part of the league’s discipline that was announced Thursday, July 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

LOVERRO: Maryland, Virginia, District can demand honesty from Snyder

There may be a way to give a voice in the future to those who wind up muzzled by nondisclosure agreements -- legal contracts that pay accusers for their silence -- wielded by powerful sports owners. At least here in Washington, as it relates to Dan Snyder, there may be.

August 22, 2021
U.S. gymnast Simone Biles poses with her bronze medal for the artistic gymnastics women's balance beam apparatus at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) ** FILE **

LOVERRO: Biles made right decision to withdraw, but isn’t worthy of canonization

This was a competition decision, one that is part of the world of gymnastics. It prevented her from competing, so she didn't compete. Yet her legion of protectors sought to paint this as some sort of seminal moment in sports, where an athlete refuses to compete because of mental health issues, an overreaction and overcompensation to protect her legacy and defend her decision.

August 9, 2021
Shohei Ohtani, of the Los Angeles Angeles, larrives to a news conference to be named the American League's starting pitcher for the MLB All-Star baseball game, Monday, July 12, 2021, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

LOVERRO: Two-way Ohtani takes center stage at All-Star Game

Ohtani, 27, is the starting pitcher for the American League All-Stars, facing off Tuesday night against the National League starter Max Scherzer. For Scherzer -- 7-4 with a 2.66 ERA this season -- it's a fourth All-Star Game start. For Ohtani -- 4-1 with a 3.49 ERA and 33 home runs -- it's an acknowledgment of one of the most remarkable seasons since the days of Babe Ruth.

July 12, 2021
Brooklyn Dodgers' Roy Campanella, left, and New York Yankees' Yogi Berra, rival catchers, exchanged greetings before an exhibition game on March 25, 1955.(AP Photo) **FILE**

LOVERRO: Berra, Campanella defined an era of greatness

Playing in the same city -- one in the National League, the other in the American League -- Yogi Berra and Roy Campanella each won three league most valuable player awards. It was a five-year run of unprecedented excellence recognized for the position.

July 4, 2021
New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz yells instructions during the third period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pittsburgh, Tuesday, May 18, 2021. The Penguins won 2-1. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

LOVERRO: Capitals will never know if Trotz might have made the difference

On Sunday, the Capitals were again shown the playoff door early, this time with their Barry Trotz replica, Peter Laviolette. Laviolette is a veteran, Stanley Cup-winning coach who gladly took the top-tier money that Ted Leonsis and his brain trust could have -- and should have -- paid Trotz.

May 24, 2021
Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook dribbles the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Friday, May 14, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) **FILE**

Wizards and optimism? They’ve absolutely earned it

The outcome on the court and in the standings may not be any different under general manager Tommy Sheppard this season. But possibilities exist. The Russell Westbrook trade speaks to those possibilities.

May 17, 2021
In this Jan. 16, 2021, photo, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) runs during an NFL divisional playoff football game against the Los Angeles Rams in Green Bay, Wis. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst says the team remains committed to Rodgers “for the foreseeable future” one year after trading up in the first round to draft the three-time MVP’s potential successor. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) **FILE**

Aaron Rodgers to Washington just crazy enough to work

The very idea that one of the greatest quarterbacks of his time -- the NFL's 2020 Most Valuable Player, his third such honor -- is being touted somehow as a good fit for the Washington Football Team is amazing. And get this: No one is laughing.

May 10, 2021
In this March 11, 2015, file photo, then-Detroit Lions general manager Martin Mayhew speaks during a news conference in Allen Park, Mich. Washington has hired Martin Mayhew to be its new general manager. The hiring of Mayhew makes Washington the only team in the NFL with a Black team president and GM. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File) **FILE**

LOVERRO: Only NFL draft grade that matters comes later

Here's a necessary reminder that what anyone thinks of a draft class hours after the selections are made means nothing. That goes for anyone, even the geniuses who made the picks. No, make that especially the geniuses that made the picks.

May 2, 2021