Charissa Thompson leads Amazon Prime’s NFL coverage despite outrage from fellow reporters for admitting to making up quotes from coaches in games

Charissa Thomspon led Amazon Prime’s NFL coverage Thursday night despite her extraordinary admission that as a sideline reporter she made up quotes from NFL coaches — which has been met with widespread anger from fellow reporters across the industry.

In an interview on Pardon My Take earlier this week, Thompson made the stunning revelation and justified it by saying it would cover her if a coach was ever too busy to speak.

She explained, “I’ve said this before, so I’m not fired for saying it, but I’ll say it again. Sometimes I would make up the report because A, the coach didn’t come out at halftime or it was too late and I was like, I didn’t want to mess up the report, so I was like, “I’m just going to make this up.”

“Because, first of all, no coach is going to get mad if I say, ‘Hey, we’ve got to stop hurting ourselves, we’ve got to be better on third down, we’ve got to stop turning the ball over… It’s better to get off the field,” she continued. “They’re not going to correct me on that, for example.”

Thompson still hosted the Amazon Prime broadcast for Thursday night’s NFL game between the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals. She did not address the outrage in the reporting prior to the match.

Thompson made the admission on a podcast earlier this week and the comments were dismissed by fellow reporters

But as she faced the cameras, her industry colleagues were furious.

CBS Sports sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson wrote on X: “This is absolutely not okay, not the norm and disturbing on so many levels.

‘I take my job very seriously, I hold myself accountable for everything I say, I build trust with coaches and never make anything up. I know my fellow reporters are doing the same.”

Fellow Fox Sports reporter Laura Okmin said: “THE privilege of a side role is that you are the only person in the entire world who has the ability to ask coaches what is happening at that moment.

‘I can’t express how much time it takes to build that trust. Devastated by the texts I get asking if this is okay. No never.’

Buster Olney of ESPN responded to Okmin, saying, “If the coach/manager refuses to answer questions, that’s where you start. And then tune in to other information.”

Jenna Laine, also from ESPN, said: “I’ve spent time as a sideline reporter and have dealt with cases where access and immediate information have been a challenge.

“If I may… this is why you’re overpreparing. Trust the reporting from earlier in the week with the best storylines and get truly unique backstories. I hope that helps.’

CBS Sports sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson was one of several reporters outraged

Thompson was right when she said she had said this before.

In 2022, on a podcast she co-hosted with Erin Andrews, “Calm Down with Erin and Charissa,” she reflected on covering the Detroit Lions and speaking with head coach Rod Marinelli about the struggling team that went 0-0 all season. 16 continued.

“I was like, ‘oh coach, what adjustments are you going to make at halftime?’ He says, “That’s a great perfume you’re wearing.” I was like, ‘oh f**k, this isn’t going to work.’ “I’m not kidding, I made a report,” she said.

An Amazon Prime spokesperson was quoted by reporter Dan Kaplan on X as saying of Thompson, “She told a story from 15 years ago.” Kaplan later deleted the tweet.

Thompson’s career began around 2007 with work at the Big Ten Network and FOX Sports. She has also previously worked for ESPN.