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Fox Sports sideline reporter and pregame show host Charissa Thompson has released a statement addressing the recent controversy that she brought on herself by admitting that she has previously fabricated halftime reports while on-air.
During a recent interview, Thompson — claiming she’s said this publicly before — revealed that she sometimes “makes up” the stories and quotes that are reported on during her sideline segmets with NFL coaches.
“I’ve said this before. I haven’t been fired to saying it, but I’ll say it again. I would make up the report sometimes, 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 gonna make this up,'” Thompson told Pardon My Take.
The blowback to Thompson’s comments, particularly from self-important fellow sports journalist, was swift and widespread.
As a result, Thompson has now released a statement that directly contradicts her comments about “making up” reports as she now claims she’s “never lied about anything.”
“Working in media, I understand how important words are an 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 broadcast,” Thompson’s statement on Instagram reads in part.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CzwLgW4OE9U/?hl=en&img_index=1
At this time, Fox Sports has not publicly commented or acted on Thompson’s admission.
The 41-year-old Thompson became a major face in sports media when she began hosting SportsNation on ESPN in 2012 following the departure of Michelle Beadle.
The following year, she rejoined Fox Sports, where she has been hosting Fox NFL Kickoff ever since. Beginning in 2022, Thompson became the pregame, halftime, and postgame show host of Prime Video’s NFL coverage.
Thompson also currently hosts the popular podcast Calm Down along with her fellow veteran NFL sideline reporter Erin Andrews.