ESPN’s Mollie McGrath Calls Out Fox Sports’ Charissa Thompson For Making Up Sideline Reports
deadline.comESPN college football and hoops sideline reporter Mollie McGrath ripped into recent comments from Fox Sports‘ NFL Kickoff host Charissa Thompson, calling Thompson’s behavior when she was a sideline reporter for Fox “not normal or ethical.” In an appearance this week on the Pardon My Take podcast, Thompson, who also does pregame, halftime and postgame coverage for Amazon Prime’s Thursday Night Football, revisited her admission last year that she would sometimes completely make up reports. “I’ve said this before, so I haven’t been fired for saying it, but I’ll say it again,” Thompson said, “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 then offered her rationale. “First of all, 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.’ Like, they’re not gonna correct me on that.” Today, McGrath shot back, “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.”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.
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