Charissa Thompson leads Amazon Prime's NFL coverage despite sparking FURIOUS reaction from fellow reporters for admitting she MADE UP quotes from coaches in games

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

In an interview on Pardon My Take earlier this week, Thompson made the staggering 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 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 halftime 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."

'Because, 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,’” she continued. “Like, they’re not gonna correct me on that.'

Thompson was still presenting the Amazon Prime broadcast for Thursday night's NFL game between Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals. She didn't address the outrage in the pre-game coverage.

But on Friday the presenter finally addressed 'the elephant in the room' in a statement on social media, claiming she chose the 'wrong words' to describe her days as a sideline reporter.

'Ok, let's address the elephant in the room,' Thompson said in a statement on social media. 'I have a responsibility to myself and my employers to clarify what is being reported.

'When on a podcast this week, I said I would make up reports early in my career when I worked as a sideline reporter before I transitioned to my current host role.

'Working in media I understand how important words are and 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 broadcaster.'

She continued: 'In the absence of a coach providing any information that could further my report I would use information that I learned and saw during the first half to create my report.

'For example if a team was 0 for 7 on 3rd down, that would clearly be an area they need to improve on in the second half. In these instances I never attributed anything I said to a player or coach.

'I have nothing but respect for sideline reporters and for the tireless work they put in behind the scenes and on the field. I am only appreciative and humbled to work alongside some of the best in the business and call them some of my best friends.'

While she was facing the cameras on Thursday, Thompson's industry colleagues were outraged.

CBS Sports’ sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson wrote on X: 'This is absolutely not ok, not the norm and upsetting on so many levels.

'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.'

Fellow Fox Sports’ reporter Laura Okmin said: '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.'

ESPN's Buster Olney responded to Okmin and said: 'If the coach/manager declines to answer any questions, you start with that. And then plane onto other information.'

Jenna Laine, also of ESPN, said: 'I spent time as a sideline reporter and have dealt with instances where access and immediate information was a challenge.

'If I may…this is why you over-prepare. Lean on reporting from earlier in the week with top storylines and get really unique back-stories. Hope that helps.'

Thompson was correct when she said she had mentioned this before. 

In 2022, on a podcast she hosted with Erin Andrews called 'Calm Down with Erin and Charissa' she reflected on covering the Detroit Lions and speaking to head coach Rod Marinelli about the struggling team that went 0-16 through the season.

'I was like ‘oh coach what adjustments are you gonna make at halftime?’ He goes, ‘that’s a great perfume you’re wearing.’ I was like ‘oh f**k, this isn’t gonna work.’ I’m not kidding, I made up a report,' she said.

An Amazon Prime spokesperson was quoted by reporter Dan Kaplan on X as saying about Thompson: 'She was telling a story from 15 years ago.' Kaplan later deleted the tweet.

Thompson's career started around 2007 with work at the Big Ten network and  FOX Sports. She has also worked for ESPN before.