Sports Reporter Charissa Thompson Slammed By Fellow Female Journalists After Confessing To Making Up Sideline Reports: “Shocked. Disappointed. Disgusted”

Fox Sports reporter Charissa Thompson just fumbled her credibility as a journalist. While reflecting on her time as an NFL sideline reporter, Thompson admitted that she would make up quotes from coaches when she wasn’t able to talk to them directly.

The reporter — who now hosts the FOX NFL Kickoff pregame show before Amazon Prime Video‘s Thursday Night Football — made the bombshell confession on a recent episode of the Pardon My Take podcast.

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

Thompson even revealed the types of quotes she would fabricate from the coaches.

“No coach is going to 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,'” 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’s shameless admission has since sparked outrage among her female industry peers, who have slammed her integrity.

“This is absolutely not ok, not the norm and upsetting on so many levels,” CBS sports reporter Tracy Wolfson wrote on X. “I take my job very seriously, I hold myself accountable for all I say, I build trust with coaches and never make something up. I know my fellow reporters do the same.”

Emmy Award-winning sports journalist Andrea Kremer added, “As one of only 3 women in the @ProFootballHOF I’m sickened by the insulting mockery being made of sideline reporting, a challenging role primarily manned by women – most of whom understand & respect the values of journalism and are integral, trusted members of a broadcast team.”

THE privilege of a sideline role is being the 1 person in the entire world who has the opportunity to ask coaches what’s happening in that moment. I can’t express the amount of time it takes to build that trust. Devastated w/the texts I’m getting asking if this is ok. No. Never.

— Laura Okmin (@LauraOkmin) November 16, 2023

Trust and credibility. They mean everything to a journalist. To violate either one – in any way – not only makes a mockery of the profession, but is a disservice to players, coaches and, most importantly, to fans.
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— Lisa Salters (@saltersl) November 17, 2023

There’s much I’d like to say right now..disappointed mad & sad.. as a part time sideline reporter who puts integrity & trust 1st & believes they’re why I’m able 2 do my job. But having read comments by gold standards like @Andrea_Kremer & @LauraOkmin I’ll just say “what she said”

— Dana Jacobson (@danajacobson) November 17, 2023

Decider has reached out to Fox Sports for comment, but did not hear back by time of publication.