Charissa Thompson, the Fox Sports reporter who bizarrely revealed this week on a podcast that she had occasionally fabricated entire NFL sideline reports, tried to walk back the admission on Friday, insisting she “never lied” on live TV.
Her Friday statement was a stark contrast to what Thompson revealed on the “Pardon My Take” podcast, where she explicitly stated, “I would make up the report sometimes.”
She said she’d make up a report whenever a coach would blow her off after or before halftime, adding that she’d just speak vaguely about common talking points to not raise any eyebrows.
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“No coach is gonna get mad if 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 do a better job of getting off the field,’” she said. “They’re not gonna correct me on that. So I’m like, it’s fine, I’ll just make up the report.”
Thompson, 41, was immediately skewered by her colleagues, including NBC’s former sideline reporter Michele Tafoya, who called the act “professional fraud,” and ESPN’s Molly McGrath, who said it was not “normal or ethical.”
NBC Sports’ Kathryn Tappen took her criticism a step further, saying Thompson’s actions were downright “deplorable.”
Scores of other sideline reporters emphasized that Thompson’s actions were not standard practice. Thompson claimed on Friday that it was never her practice, either.
“Ok, let’s address the elephant in the room. I have a responsibility to myself and my employers to clarify what is being reported,” she posted to her Instagram story. “When on a podcast this week, I said I would make up reports early in my career when I worked as a sideline reporter before I transitioned to my current host role.
“Working in media, I understand how important words are and I chose the wrong words to describe the situation. I’m sorry. I have never lied about anything or been unethical during my time as a sports broadcaster.”
In addition to hosting on Fox Sports, Thompson also works for Amazon’s NFL on Prime Video. A spokesperson for each broadcaster declined to comment on the subject, The Athletic reported Thursday.
Read it at USA Today
