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Fox Sports and Amazon Prime Video host Charissa Thompson used to be a sideline reporter for NFL games, but admitted that not everything she reported was true.
On the “Pardon My Take” podcast, Thompson talked about her experiences as a sideline reporter and the conversations she has with coaches and players, especially right before or just after halftime. Usually the sideline reporter gives all the details the coaches have told them before the game starts, but sometimes she makes it up.
“I’ve said this before, so I didn’t get fired for it, but I’ll say it again,” Thompson said. “I sometimes made up the report because A. the coach didn’t come at halftime or it was too late and I thought I didn’t want to screw up the report, so I was like, ‘I’ll just make that up.’
She then explained that whatever she would say to the audience would not be harmful.
“No coach gets mad when I say, ‘Hey, we need to stop hurting ourselves, we need to be better on third down, we need to stop turning the ball over and get better off the field’.” ” She continued. “They won’t correct me on that. I think it’s fine, I’ll just make up the report.”
Criticism of Charissa Thompson
Several reporters criticized Thompson’s admission of making fake reports, saying it affected the credibility of the job and the trust of the coaches.
“Young reporters: This is neither normal nor ethical,” said ESPN reporter Molly McGrath. “Coaches and players trust us with confidential information, and if they know you are being dishonest and not taking your role seriously, you have lost all trust and credibility.”
“A large portion of the public doesn’t trust the media in its current form,” said The Athletic reporter Chris Kirschner. “I can’t believe she would proudly admit that. This is seriously damaging to the people who actually take the job seriously. It is completely unethical and deserves to never work in this field again.”
“What a bad look for the job,” said former U.S. soccer star and Apple TV MLS analyst Taylor Twellman. “Part-time reporters who put in a lot of work and effort to gain the respect of their subjects do not deserve this narrative. IF and when you lie, you hurt everyone in your profession and those who come after you. Weak.”
Charissa Thompson’s earlier admission of fake reports
As Thompson said during the appearance on “Pardon My Take,” this isn’t the first time the “Thursday Night Football” host has said she’s done stories as a sideline reporter.
In her 2022 “Calm Down” segment, Thompson told Fox Sports’ Erin Andrews that she would do sideline reporting, which Andrews also said she did, for a coach “I didn’t want to throw under the bus.” .