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.
Speaking on the “Pardon My Take” podcast, which was released on Wednesday, Thompson admitted to fabricating reports. Sideline reporters relay information they have received from players and coaches throughout NFL games to provide additional color for broadcasts.
“I haven’t been fired for saying it, but I’ll say it again, I would make up the report sometimes because, A, the coach wouldn’t come out at half-time 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 told the “Pardon My Take” podcast.
She also added that she believed what she was doing was harmless.
"First off, 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 and do a better job of getting off the field,'" she added. "Like, they're not going to correct me on that. I'm like it's fine, I'll just make up the report."
Thompson later apologized in an Instagram post on Friday, appearing to walking back her comments, saying she "I have never lied about anything or been unethical" during her time as a sports broadcaster.
ESPN broadcaster Molly McGrath tweeted a warning to young reporters saying: “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.”
Molly McGrath, a Sports Emmy nominated ESPN college football reporter, warned young journalists such behaviour was "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," she said.
Morgan Uber, of ESPN, said Ms Thompson's comments undermined other women "in a profession that is already stereotyped as just being eye candy".
"Good sideline reporters do their homework, talk to players and coaches throughout the week and on game day and most definitely don't make up reports," she said.
Representatives for Fox Sports and Amazon Prime did not respond to the BBC's request for comment.
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