Excited to get rolling today as a reporter on ESPN's investigative team. Still based in D.C. Still looking for compelling stories from any corner of the sports world.

Reach out with ideas, tips, leaks, docs, gossip — or just to say hi!

Email: tom.schad@espn.com
Signal: tschad.12

Incredibly grateful. And thrilled to continue working with so many brilliant colleagues from The Post. Onward!

Getting 'Em Next Time On diapers, writing and baseball.

On diapers, writing and baseball — from a new dad who can’t believe how lucky he is: open.substack.com/pub/colleges...

The Athletic Welcomes New Colleagues | The New York Times Company We’re excited to announce the hiring of several Washington Post journalists as The Athletic expands its coverage of the Commanders, launches a new Nationals beat and adds to its growing roster of…

The Athletic is hiring Barry Svrluga, Adam Kilgore, Candace Buckner, Ava Wallace, Spencer Nusbaum and Jason Murray www.nytco.com/press/the-at...

An aptly brilliant farewell from @barrysvrlugawp.bsky.social and WaPo Sports

There's no pressure in sports like Olympic figure skating pressure.

Rebrand This is the same newsletter except for the ways in which it is now different.

I have rebranded my free newsletter as By Jesse Dougherty.

Consider it an open-ended thing, going with the post-layoff winds, starting ... uh ... now?

More on that here. I'd love it if you subscribed (or stuck with it if you already do): collegesportsmoney.substack.com/p/rebrand

Explore where Winter Olympic sports are most accessible across the U.S. See which winter sport facilities are near you and if any Winter Olympians come from your state.

Do you sometimes watch the Winter Olympics and think ... who even does these sports?

We analyzed the locations of more than 2,500 training facilities for Winter Olympic sports. Check to see what's near you — and which sports are hard to find.

wapo.st/4qlkAKf

Will Lewis’s exit is long overdue. His legacy will be the attempted destruction of a great American journalism institution. But it's not too late to save The Post. Jeff Bezos must immediately rescind these layoffs or sell the paper to someone willing to invest in its future.

🔥🔥🔥

The Sports Section With Swagger My old corner of The Washington Post raised some of the best journalists in the business.

“We had the best writers in the country and did more with less, and we knew it with a swagger.” Sally Jenkins pays tribute to The Washington Post’s Sports section:

I know nostalgia can be tempting on days like this. But I hope we remember Post Sports not just as the section of Kornheiser and Wilbon, but also of Svrluga, Kilgore, Janes, Buckner, Hobson and so many others. The talent was unreal, all the way to the end.

The Washington Post has covered the local football team for more than 89 years. Unfortunately, and almost unfathomably, I don't know whether that coverage will continue -- or in what form.

It was an honor to play a small role in that coverage, alongside @tashanreed.bsky.social.

The Washington Post is shuttering its Sports section. As an employee, this is gutting. As a longtime reader, it is devastating.

So much of what I learned and admired about sports journalism came from reading The Post. Working there was a dream. Just wish it would've lasted more than 5 months.

‘Cashing all day’: The Instagram star accused of corrupting NCAA hoops His social media is a flood of diamonds, celebrities and winning betting slips. His edge, prosecutors allege, was paying players to underperform.

Here’s our story on the gambler accused of orchestrating one of the biggest matchfixing schemes in US history. 

@postsports.bsky.social has long delivered some of the best sports reporting out there. I’m grateful to contribute to that legacy. #SaveThePost

wapo.st/4tv5Co7

Between the sheets at the college Excel championships One of the most unusual — and fun — events in college sports is a high-stakes spreadsheeting competition in Las Vegas.

I went to the college Excel championships in Vegas, spending three days with people who REALLY love competitive spreadsheeting.

Come along. Here's how that looked, sounded and felt: washingtonpost.com/sports/interactive/2026/college-excel-spreadsheet-championships/?itid=sf_sports_toptable_1_0

Person familiar confirms the following #Commanders coaches will not be back in 2026:

-- Defensive pass game coordinator Jason Simmons
-- Asst. LB coach Ryan Kerrigan
-- Asst. DL coach Sharrif Floyd
-- Player development coach Pete Ohnegian

@aaronwilsonnfl.bsky.social was first.

It is ridiculous that this has dragged on this long. But Jordan Chiles is one step closer to having the saga of her bronze medal from Paris resolved.

This image shows a logo of The Washington Post Guild and our statement: The Post Guild vehemently opposes any more cuts to the staff of The Washington Post. As we’ve seen in recent years, continuing to eliminate scores of workers who make this storied institution what it is only stands to weaken the newspaper, drive away readers and undercut The Post’s mission: to hold power to account without fear or favor and provide critical insight into communities across the region, country and world. If Jeff Bezos no longer supports that mission, then The Post and its readers deserve a steward who does. If you value The Post’s journalism and its renowned past — if you care about its future — we ask that you join us in our call to #SaveThePost.

#SaveThePost, Jeff Bezos.

Commanders set to hire Daronte Jones as defensive coordinator Jones, a key assistant under coordinator Brian Flores with the Minnesota Vikings, is in line to replace Joe Whitt Jr., who was fired this month.

More on new #Commanders defensive coordinator Daronte Jones:

- First-time NFL DC, but with play-calling experience
- Local guy (shoutout Bishop McNamara)
- DB focus to complement Dan Quinn's expertise in DL

Full story w/ @tashanreed.bsky.social: www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2026/...

Jones will be a first-time NFL defensive coordinator. He's been with the Vikings since 2022 and most recently served as a DC with LSU in 2021.

The Commanders are finalizing a deal to hire Daronte Jones as their next defensive coordinator, person familiar confirms. Believe ESPN was first.

Grew up reading @postsports.bsky.social section every morning with my cereal. It inspired me to go into journalism. It was a dream to start my career there and to learn by working around the very best. I still read it every day and it continues to produce incredible work. #SaveThePost

People ask me what my favorite part of working at The Post is and I often tell them my granddad. A native Washingtonian, he’s an avid sports fan. When I was hired in 2021, it was a full-circle moment for my family.

Serving local readers like him is a privilege. #SaveThePost

Stopping here mostly just because I'm out of gift links. But there's lots of other brilliant work being done by @postsports.bsky.social every day. I came to The Post five months ago because I thought this was the best sports section in the country. Still feel that way today.

FBI is investigating the death of Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay Irsay, who struggled with addiction, was receiving opioids and ketamine from a California recovery doctor, The Post reported over the summer.

Finally, a huge shoutout to Will Hobson, @samaha.bsky.social and @sam4tr.bsky.social for their incredible investigative work around Jim Irsay's death, which is now being investigated by the FBI: wapo.st/49J1BEI

ACL tears keep sidelining women’s basketball stars. What’s going on? From Paige Bueckers in 2022 to JuJu Watkins last March, many of the world’s best female players are suffering serious knee injuries.

Also proud to work for an outlet that devotes resources to covering women's sports. @kareemcopeland.bsky.social has been a big part of that. His latest looks at why so many top women's basketball players have suffered torn ACLs: wapo.st/4beCSZZ

They were traded for MacKenzie Gore. Here’s what MLB evaluators see. The Post talked to several talent evaluators employed by teams across MLB, asking them about the return for MacKenzie Gore. Here’s what we learned.

I don't know that a specific beat at a specific newspaper has had a better 20-year run of beat writers than Nats coverage at The Post. Great work from @andrewgolden.bsky.social & @spencernusbaum.bsky.social to get real insight from people in the game on the team's latest trade: wapo.st/49PHVix