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Thom Loverro

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

LOVERRO: NFC title win 50 years ago still glows amid the darkness

They were conquering heroes. They had vanquished the hated Dallas Cowboys, 26-3, just a few blocks away at RFK Stadium in the NFC Championship Game, sending the Redskins to their first Super Bowl.

December 29, 2022

LOVERRO: Rivera owes the journeyman, but the owner signs his check

Ron Rivera publicly committed to Taylor Heinicke. Imagine what he told the journeyman quarterback behind closed doors. I suspect it was a more passionate pledge, as coaches typically do to their players in those moments. There was no such commitment Tuesday.

December 27, 2022

LOVERRO: The World Cup, which embraced Qatar, passed on Snyder, FedEx Field

Ghost Town Field, officially named FedEx Field, was offered by Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder as a potential host stadium for games by the DC2026 World Cup bid committee. But the stadium was a nonstarter before the local bid was even submitted.

December 25, 2022

LOVERRO: Hard truth is the Giants just tougher than Commanders

This is clear -- the Giants are tougher. Washington has a better roster of players. But New York's roster plays at a higher level of intensity and has bought in fully to rookie coach Brian Daboll's message of commitment, just a bit more than Ron Rivera's players have.

December 19, 2022

LOVERRO: Any conversation about Ovechkin among D.C. greats must include Johnson, Baugh, Gibson

Alex Ovechkin being the greatest athlete in Washington team sports history isn't a declaration, as much as some would like it to be just that. It's a conversation.

December 15, 2022

LOVERRO: Among those who faced him on the court, Bird’s legacy undeniable

In a 1997 interview with sportscaster Ahmad Rashad, when asked to select the greatest players they had ever seen other than themselves, Wilt Chamberlain picked Bird. Russell selected Bird third after Magic and Jordan -- not Oscar Robertson, who he played against, but Bird.

December 12, 2022

LOVERRO: House probe may be done, but still many shoes remain to fall

The House Oversight Committee's probe of Dan Snyder may be done, but there are still four - count them - four different ongoing investigations being conducted by highly-ranked criminal justice officials.

December 8, 2022

LOVERRO: There’s no going back to Wentz, the legend of Heinicke is now the story of this team

The Commanders (7-5-1) may have a good defense and two studs up the middle in Jon Allen and Daron Payne. They may have a great running attack, rushing for 165 yards Sunday. But perhaps no one represents this season's success to date more than Taylor Heinicke

December 5, 2022

LOVERRO: What was once bemusement at Qatar’s antics should be replaced these days by disgust

Qatar is having a pretty good time watching the world come to its manufactured doorstep and pay tribute to the tiny country. That's what you're doing if you are in Qatar, paying thousands of dollars to watch the World Cup in person or TV, which would lead you to believe it is taking place in Disney World.

December 1, 2022

LOVERRO: Rivera may be the bright spot franchise has been searching for in the dark

I still don't know how good of a coach Ron Rivera is. But as a leader -- really, the part that counts the most for a head coach -- he ranks among the best we've seen here in Washington, maybe since the glory days of Joe Gibbs.

November 27, 2022

LOVERRO: Commanders said they wanted their day in court. Then they settled instead with Maryland AG

Doesn't the Commanders' settlement with the Maryland attorney general validate Jason Friedman's committee testimony, first reported in the Washington Post and outlined in a letter from the committee to the Federal Trade Commission? After all, there is no Maryland investigation without his testimony.

November 24, 2022

LOVERRO: Rivera’s coaching shakeup now looks like the right move

Given the dominant performance of this defensive line, my money for the Commanders' turnaround is on the day Ron Rivera announced he was firing his longtime coaching colleague Sam Mills III and replaced him with assistant defensive line coach and 17-year NFL veteran Jeff Zgonina.

November 21, 2022

Zero was no hero: Honoring Gilbert Arenas is a franchise low mark

The franchise whose name was changed by the late owner Abe Pollin in 1997 because "the name 'Bullets" is no longer appropriate for a sports team is now honoring a player who celebrated guns and bullets so much he brought them into Pollin's building.

November 17, 2022

LOVERRO: Anything can happen now that Racine has stepped up to the plate

Everyone expects Attorney General Karl Racine to strike out in his lawsuit against the Commanders, Dan Snyder and the league. But a lot can happen now that someone has picked up a bat.

November 13, 2022

LOVERRO: Alabama country boy Dave Butz became a hero in the nation’s capital

When legendary Washington Redskins defensive tackle Dave Butz and I last spoke in March, we talked about his birthplace -- a small Alabama town called Lafayette -- where coincidentally another great champion, heavyweight Joe Louis, was also born.

November 10, 2022

LOVERRO: Heinicke’s got some magic, Cousins has the whole bag of tricks

Taylor Heinicke, last year's starter who began this season as the backup, threw a six-yard touchdown at the beginning of the fourth quarter -- and suddenly the crowd was mesmerized by Heinicke magic. Then Kirk Cousins showed the stadium who the real sorcerer was.

November 6, 2022

WATCH: Ranked choice voting is coming to D.C. — here’s how it works

WATCH: The Sitdown With Alex Swoyer Monica Crowley on a year of historic diplomacy

Will Graham Platner derail Democrats’ 2026 hopes? Tim Constantine & David Bozell