NFL Reporter Admits to Making up Fake Sideline Reports

An NFL reporter opened up about her days working on the sidelines and how she would make up fake reports during games. While appearing on Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take podcast, Charissa Thompson, who works as a host for Fox Sports and Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football, talked about her experience as a sideline reporter and the conversations she had with players and coaches before and after halftime. She admitted that she sometimes made up what they said.

“I’ve said this before, so I haven’t been fired for saying it, but I’ll say it again,” Thompson said, per USA Today. “I would make up the report sometimes because, A, the coach wouldn’t come out at halftime or it was too late and I was like, I didn’t want to screw up the report, so I was like, ‘I’m just gonna make this up.’”  

Thompson added there was no harm in anything she would say to those watching the game. “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 continued. “Like, they’re not gonna correct me on that. I’m like it’s fine, I’ll just make up the report.”

Following Thompson’s admission, several reporters went after her on social media. ESPN’s Molly McGrath wrote, “Young reporters: This is not normal or ethical. “Coaches and players trust us with sensitive information, and if they know that you’re dishonest and don’t take your role seriously, you’ve lost all trust and credibility.”

“A good portion of the public doesn’t trust the media as is,” The Athletic reporter Chris Kirschner said. “I cannot believe she would proudly admit this. This causes significant harm to the people who actually take the job seriously. It’s entirely unethical and worthy of never working in the field again.”  

Last year, Thompson talked about making up reports on the Calm Down podcast with Erin Andrews and talked about how she had to do that when talking to then-Detroit Lions head coach Rod Marinelli in 2008. “I was like, ‘Oh, Coach, what adjustments are you gonna make at halftime?’” Thompson said, per Mediaite.com. “He goes, ‘That’s a great perfume you’re wearing.’ I was like, ‘Oh, f—, this isn’t gonna work.’ I’m not kidding, I made up a report.”