Charissa Thompson is facing heavy backlash after she admitted to fabricating sideline reports. The Fox Sports commentator said that she would make up quotes from coaches in her reports during sideline broadcasts. earlier in her career. The journalist made this admission in an episode of Barstool Sports’s Pardon My Take podcast, which has since gone viral.
Advertisement
The 41-year-old said on the podcast, “I’ve said this before, and I haven’t been fired for saying it, but I’ll say it again: I would make up the reports sometimes.” She admitted that she did it out of fear of messing up her report: “Because the coach wouldn’t come out at half-time, or it was too late and I didn’t want to screw up the report.”
Charissa Thompson, a Fox Sports and Amazon Prime Video “Thursday Night Football” host, has apologized after saying she used to make up reports when working as an NFL sideline reporter earlier in her career. https://t.co/kqxWp8e8Xo pic.twitter.com/3QhA3ES3oX
— CNN (@CNN) November 18, 2023
Since yesterday, fans have been tweeting about fake reports, crediting them to Thompson. Following Joe Burrow’s injury, fans had fun with the scandal and tweeted out unverified reports about when he would be returning, and his injury.
Joe Burrow has an ankle injury per Charissa Thompson. pic.twitter.com/pq9pYXku4q
— Irrational Hawkeye (@IrrationalHawk2) November 17, 2023
“Joe Burrow told me after the game, he’s excited to play next week against the Steelers” – Charissa Thompson pic.twitter.com/uGvFAiSDxM
— Nautical Demon (@nauticaldemon) November 17, 2023
— PoppedBit (@PoppedBit) November 17, 2023
Maybe you should be fired? Speaking as a trained Journalist…my profs are 😱
— Catherine Nelson (@Cathytnelson) November 17, 2023
Criticisms against Thompson since this admission have been rampant. Be it from fellow journalists or NFL fans. Many fans are also demanding that she be removed from her position. While Charissa Thompson’s professional future stays up in the air, she went on to her Instagram to clarify the situation and to apologize for her remarks.
Charissa Thompson Apologizes, Says She “Chose the Wrong Words”
After facing the backlash caused by her remarks on the podcast, Thompson took to her Instagram stories to issue a detailed apology. The Thursday Night Football host claimed that she never lied in her reporting and was never unethical as a journalist. She attributed her mistake to choosing the “wrong words” and said,
“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.”
View this post on Instagram
On the podcast, some of what the ‘Calm Down’ podcast co-host said she invented was to the effect of: “We need to stop hurting ourselves”; “We need to be better on third down”; and, “Do a better job of getting off the field.” She further said that she didn’t think any coaches would get mad at her for stating this in her reports. In her apology, Thompson said that she would say all this from her own knowledge and understanding of the game, but never attributed them to a coach. To this effect, she said,
“In the absence of a coach providing any information that could further my report I would use that information that I learned and saw during the first half to create my report…In these instances, I never attributed anything I said to a player or coach.”
The former sideline reporter turned broadcaster might have clarified her words and apologized but it seems that she has done permanent damage to her reputation as a journalist. Furthermore, her remarks have put a negative spotlight on sideline reporters, the role which has long been questioned for its necessity.
