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Allen's stranglehold on Redskins tightens with Lafemina's departure

You want to know how hard Brian Lafemina’s job was as the Washington Redskins president of business operations, chief operating officer and franchise savior? This is how hard it was. Lafemina and his newly imported business and marketing team, brought in by owner Dan Snyder to stop the bleeding at the box office and change the toxic narrative that had come to define the Redskins, had an idea for a marketing campaign — seemingly a simple campaign with a catchy phase. “We Hail.

Legendary female footballer still blazing trails for women

You might not have noticed something very different and unique before the kickoff at Redskins home games this season. After all, you were probably among the thousands making your way to your seats, focused in part on the players on the field warming up in their uniforms and in part on the guy behind you who almost spilled his beer down your back. It would have been easy to miss the woman on the field taking notes about how those players looked as they represented the NFL. But

Redskins' 'do the right thing' era was doomed from the start

I wrote the following in my Nov. 30 Washington Times column: “The Lafemina-Redskins goodwill era came to an end Tuesday afternoon with the news that the organization he was brought in, along with a team of other suits, to save had yet again committed a self-destructive crime by picking up Reuben Foster, the former first-round pick who had been cut by the San Francisco 49ers after spending Saturday night in jail in Tampa, Florida, following his third arrest in 12 months. “It’s

NFL dreams fuel D.C.'s latest arena football adventure

Sean Brackett was the third-string quarterback for the WashingtonValor, and believe me, there is no more third string than being the third-string quarterback for the WashingtonValor in the Arena Football League. Still, for Brackett, it was better than last year. At least he didn’t need a translator in practice. Brackett, 25, a former quarterback at Columbia University, was the backup quarterback last season for the Qingdao Clipper in the Chinese Arena Football League — a leag

Tim Tebow should pay attention to just how hard it is to reach major leagues

Brian Goodwin played his first professional baseball game in Hagerstown, Maryland, in 2012 at the age of 21. Since then, he’s played professional baseball in places like Scottsdale, Arizona; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Syracuse, New York, and Margarita Island in Venezuela, over the last five years. He stepped up to the plate 2,243 times in 603 games. Before that, Goodwin played college baseball at University of North Carolina and Miami-Dade Community College for two years. Befo

Joe Don Looney's place in history

The presence of Sonny Jurgensen and Billy Kilmer together at a Washington Nationals game last week caused quite a commotion — Washington sports royalty side by side, in, appropriately, the President’s Club seats. Two presidents at a Nationals game wouldn’t have gotten as much attention — especially two shown with cigars in their mouths. The one-time quarterback rivals here in Washington may be the most valued and treasured relationship in Washington sports history. Even thoug

Junior Seau’s likely Hall of Fame selection could be troublesome for NFL

Who will speak for Junior Seau when he is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio in August? Will his wife Gina represent the late linebacker, who died in May 2013 at the age of 43 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound? Will she say this? "When he would come home from games, he would go straight to the room, lower the blinds, the blackout blinds, and just say, 'Quiet, my head is, is burning.'" That's what she told 60 Minutes Sports several weeks ago. Or maybe

Pitchman to pariah: Last year, NFL used Ray Rice jersey in women’s apparel ad

Nearly one year ago to the day that the Baltimore Ravens — exposed and embarrassed — cut Ray Rice following the video TMZ released of the Ravens running back knocking out his then-fiancee in an elevator at an Atlantic City casino in February, the NFL embarked on a promotional campaign selling apparel to women. The jersey they used in the ad? A Ray Rice jersey. The spokesman they used to promote the value of women to the NFL? Ravens coach John Harbaugh. How did the ad spot end

No way picking up Robert Griffin III’s option was a no-brainer

I can't figure out if team president Bruce Allen is the good cop, coach Jay Gruden is the bad cop, or they are just all Keystone Cops at Redskins Park. Here's what Allen told reporters recently about the decision to pick up often-injured Robert Griffin III's fifth-year option on his contract. "We think Robert is a starting quarterback. We've seen him win. We've seen him win big games. We know his talent. It really was a no-brainer. I think if you asked us six months before, i

In midst of Super Bowl spectacle, the wreckage of human lives

Imagine if at the Phillip Morris annual stockholders meeting, they paraded around cancer victims who told their stories of facing death? Or at the Tobacco Expo in Las Vegas, oxygen tank manufacturers touting their latest wares, showing you the newest technology to help you breathe? Welcome to Super Bowl week, which has become a parade of former players with their tales of destruction, depression and dysfunction resulting from the very game the entire event exists to celebrate

For Shanahans and Griffins, father-son dreams meet harsh reality

This Redskins melodrama comes down to fathers and sons, and the dreams that have turned into nightmares. Coach Mike Shanahan hired his son Kyle to be his offensive coordinator here in Washington, and you can be sure that was a dream come true for both. Kyle grew up on the football field around his father, and most likely as a young boy dreamed of the day he could work with Dad. Mike watched Kyle grow as a football coach from afar, from offensive quality coach in Tampa Bay to

For RG3, it’s not the heat, it’s the humility

It seems reasonable to conclude that Washington Redskins quarterback Robert “SuperBob” Griffin III missed some valuable growth time in the offseason while rehabilitating his reconstructed right knee. This was obvious in the early games of this 2013 season, and while he has played better of late, the missed development opportunities still show up, like on Sunday in Philadelphia in a 24-16 loss to the Eagles. We saw the RG3 learning curve in the first half Sunday when the Redsk

Remembering Ezra Cooper, a bright spot in D.C. football

Ezra Cooper looked at the 80 women that had assembled at a sandlot field in the spring of 2001. They were there to talk about football – not understanding football so they could share in pigskin joy with their husbands or boyfriends; not powder-puff football or playing the game in their underwear. No, Cooper was about to teach this group of women how to play football – real football, with pads and hitting and blood and guts. “All right ladies,” Cooper said. “Let’s get started

NFL keeps bounty scandal behind closed doors

Hearings in the NFL bounty probe were held in Washington last week, but not the kind of hearings we should have seen take place. Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue was appointed to oversee the appeals of the New Orleans Saints players suspended for their roles in the Saints bounty case -- paying players to injure opponents. The alleged mastermind of the bounty program, former Redskins defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, was in Washington to testify before Tagliabue, as

Call this what it is for Redskins: A quarterback controversy

Don't believe the hype. There's a quarterback controversy in Washington. It's Robert Griffin III vs. Kirk Cousins. I love RGIII. I love Kirk. No one is printing bumper stickers yet -- at least not that I know of. But to deny the existence of at least the roots of a Redskins quarterback controversy means you aren't paying attention. If many in the media are spending days saying there is no Redskins quarterback controversy, then there is a quarterback controversy. And I'm not e

Largent, Cerrato simply can't agree

Steve Largent is a Hall of Fame receiver. He was Jim Zorn's teammate in Seattle, and they remain close friends. In 1982, Zorn and Largent crossed the line as the players' strike began to fall apart - a decision, it was reported, based on religious principle. Largent cited Matthew 5:36?37, saying "your word is your bond" and "all contracts shall be honored as with God." In 1989, Largent became the first Seattle player to win the Steve Largent Award for "spirit, dedicatio

Another chance for Manley: Drug-free again, ex-Redskin vows to make good this time

Dexter Manley always had his own flamboyant style, and he shone brightly during his colorful days as a defensive end with the Washington Redskins. "I lived in the sun," he said. But there have been too many days in the darkness for Dexter Manley over the past 20 years - days where he didn't know where he was, not knowing if he would live or die because of his cocaine addiction. One thing about Manley, though: Every time he gets knocked down, he tries to get up, and now h

Numbers game; NFL ignores sack statistics before 1982

Imagine, if you would, that Hack Wilson never drove in 190 runs in a season. Or that Roger Hornsby never batted .424 in 1924 and George Sisler never got 257 hits in one year. Imagine that no baseball statistics existed before 1982. That, in essence, is what the NFL is doing in its campaign to sell us on the idea that Redskins defensive end Bruce Smith has tied the all-time sack record. Smith was credited with half a sack of Dolphins quarterback Brian Griese, giving him 19

Brother signs praises of late RB Ricky Bell

Archie Bell, from Houston, Texas, was in Baltimore on Saturday. He not only sings, but he dances just as good as he walks. And all he wants to do is make it mellow. How? Just tighten up, baby. You can do it. But don't you just do it light. Archie Bell wrote one of the greatest soul songs of the 1960s, a dance party anthem called "Tighten Up." He will be 57 years old Saturday and is still touring around the country, playing "Tighten Up" and some of the lesser known songs

Browns' re-debut has Cleveland a-rockin'

CLEVELAND - It was a big night in Cleveland last night. It was the first time they have ever had Tibetan nuns in the city. "We've had Tibetan priests before, but not nuns," said Jean Francis, spokesman for the Cleveland Public Theatre. The nuns performed a program last night of "colorful masked dances and vibrant harmonic chants." Fran Mohoupp, the nun who narrates the program, was hopeful a large crowd would show up. Had she ever heard of the Cleveland Browns? "What is t

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Thom Loverro

ThomLoverro.com - The Blog

Allen's stranglehold on Redskins tightens with Lafemina's departure

Legendary female footballer still blazing trails for women

Redskins' 'do the right thing' era was doomed from the start

NFL dreams fuel D.C.'s latest arena football adventure

Tim Tebow should pay attention to just how hard it is to reach major leagues

Joe Don Looney's place in history

Junior Seau’s likely Hall of Fame selection could be troublesome for NFL

Pitchman to pariah: Last year, NFL used Ray Rice jersey in women’s apparel ad

No way picking up Robert Griffin III’s option was a no-brainer

In midst of Super Bowl spectacle, the wreckage of human lives

For Shanahans and Griffins, father-son dreams meet harsh reality

For RG3, it’s not the heat, it’s the humility

Remembering Ezra Cooper, a bright spot in D.C. football

NFL keeps bounty scandal behind closed doors

Call this what it is for Redskins: A quarterback controversy

Largent, Cerrato simply can't agree

Another chance for Manley: Drug-free again, ex-Redskin vows to make good this time

Numbers game; NFL ignores sack statistics before 1982

Brother signs praises of late RB Ricky Bell

Browns' re-debut has Cleveland a-rockin'

Past Articles

Featured Articles

You're Invited! D.C. Grays Cigar Fundraiser

Thom Loverro Launches New “Cigars & Curveballs” Podcast

Baseball can bring out 'Animal' for everyone

Hemingway's old man fishing for bucks now

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Allen's stranglehold on Redskins tightens with Lafemina's departure

Legendary female footballer still blazing trails for women

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