Many years ago I received a phone call from a high school basketball coach who claimed that while he was quoted in a game story that appeared in a publication competing with mine, the sportswriter covering the game never interviewed him.

“I mean, it sounded like something I would say,” the coach said.

But he hadn’t.

What I was supposed to do about this, I had no idea. I didn’t work with the guy, though I was familiar with his MO. Earlier that same season he had stood on the far side of a court and watched while I interviewed a coach after a game. Far as I know, he didn’t bother to speak with that coach, either. But again, quotes appeared in his gamer – and they were remarkably similar to the ones I had collected.

Whether for that or other reasons, the reporter eventually moved on from the publication in question. And his methods come to mind now, in the wake of the admission on the part of Charissa Thompson, an NFL studio host for Fox and Amazon, that she would sometimes fabricate reports while serving as a Fox sideline reporter – a role she filled from 2008-10, according to the New York Times.

Here is Thompson’s full quote, which she offered up on Wednesday’s episode of the “Pardon My Take” podcast: “I’ve said this before. 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 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.’ They’re not gonna correct me on that. So I’m like, it’s fine, I’ll just make up the report.”

And, well, that’s just infuriating. Doubly so, because of the widespread mistrust of media in this day and age. And triply so, because female reporters have worked tirelessly over the years to erase the rockheaded notion that they have no place in the sporting universe.

This shouldn’t need to be repeated, but the idea in journalism is to tell the truth. That’s the case, whether you’re covering high school basketball in Amish Country or working the sidelines in the NFL. You lose your credibility, and you lose everything.

And yes, I’m aware that the interviews conducted by sideline reporters (usually with coaches) are, far more often than not, unremarkable. That doesn’t give a reporter license to invent. You just don’t do that. Period, end of story.

Sadly, it happens not only in Thompson’s case, but in other forums. Besides the example mentioned above, I can recall interviewing a Baseball Hall of Famer the day before the All-Star Game in Philadelphia in 1996. When I mentioned something written by a high-profile reporter in the market in which the ex-player had fashioned his career, he said the guy “makes shit up.” I was actually stunned at his vehemence, but when I checked with a writer friend, he confirmed that that was the case – to the point that members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America chapter in that market would not nominate the serial fabricator for certain major awards.

As Thompson said on “Pardon My Take,” it is not the first time she has admitted to playing fast and loose with her reporting. According to the Times, she offered a 2008 Detroit Lions game as a specific example of doing so, during a 2022 discussion with her podcast co-host, Fox sideline reporter Erin Andrews. Andrews responded by saying that she has done much the same thing, though her publicist told the Times that what she really meant was that at times her reports were based not on game-day discussions with coaches, but previous interviews.

Thompson, having drawn criticism from sideline reporters past and present – Andrea Kremer, Tracy Wolfson, Laura Okmin and Lisa Salters, most notably – did not comment on the kerfuffle while hosting Amazon’s pre- and postgame coverage Thursday, when the Ravens beat the Bengals in Baltimore. But in an Instagram post Friday, she insisted she has never done anything improper.

Here is her full post: “Ok let’s address the elephant in the room. 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. 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.”

Quibble, if you will, with her assertion that this is something “being reported,” since she herself is the one who came out and said it. And speculate, if you will, about what might happen next. My feeling is that everything will be lost in the churn of the 24-7 news cycle – that we will find some new outrage tomorrow … and the day after that … and the day after that. And she will go on her merry way. Not saying it should be that way. But that’s the way these things seem to unfold anymore.

It should also be noted that the guy I mentioned atop this post went on to cover the NBA and Major League Baseball in a major market. He has since moved on to other things – a man in perpetual motion, as it were. And the guy who drew the ire of the Hall of Famer has since retired, though he resurfaces on occasion. But those who know them best will always look askance at all they have produced over the years, wondering if and when they chose to embellish their work.

And so it will be with Charissa Thompson. As a reporter, credibility is all she ever had. Now, not so much.