Thomas John Simers (September 2, 1950 – June 2, 2024) was an American

sports columnist Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism has its roots in coverage of horse racing and boxing in the early 1800s, mainly targeted towards elites, and into t ...

who worked for the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' from 1990 to 2013 before accepting a position at the ''

Orange County Register ''The Orange County Register'' is a paid daily List of newspapers in California, newspaper published in California. The ''Register'', published in Orange County, California, is owned by the private equity firm Alden Global Capital via its Digit ...

'' where he worked until accepting a voluntary buyout. He attended

Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois, United States. It was founded as "Northern Illinois State Normal School" in 1895 by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld, initially to provide the state with c ...

. Simers sued the ''Los Angeles Times'' for age and health discrimination, claiming he was pushed out from his $234,000-a-year job after he suffered a minor stroke. In November 2015, a jury awarded him $7.1 million. After the jury's ruling, the judge nevertheless dismissed the constructive termination claim but said substantial evidence supported the age and disability discrimination claims; and the judge vacated the damages award and ordered a new trial on damages. The California Appeals Court affirmed the judge's ruling. Simers also worked at '' The San Diego Union'', '' the Rocky Mountain News'', ''

The Commercial Appeal ''The Commercial Appeal'' (also known as the ''Memphis Commercial Appeal'') is a daily newspaper of Memphis, Tennessee, and its surrounding metropolitan area. It is owned by the Gannett Company; its former owner, the E. W. Scripps Company, also ...

'', '' the Morristown Daily Record'', '' the Beloit Daily News'', '' the Coeur d'Alene Press'', and '' the DeKalb Chronicle''. He was named 2000 California Sportswriter of the Year by the

National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association The National Sports Media Association (NSMA), formerly the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, is an organization of sports media members in the United States, and constitutes the American chapter of the International Sports P ...

. Simers died from brain cancer on June 2, 2024, at the age of 73.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simers, T. J. 1950 births 2024 deaths American sportswriters Northern Illinois University alumni Los Angeles Times people Deaths from brain cancer in the United States Deaths from cancer in California