"As told to me..."

Charissa Thompson was in Baltimore the other night serving as the sideline reporter for Amazon Prime’s “Thursday Night Football” for what should be the last time she ever does any reporting for any outlet. I say that because she  admitted, on a show called "Pardon My Take," that she made up quotes and answers from coaches in her job as a sideline reporter.

The people at "PMT," which is apparently a podcast I'll never hear, quickly took down the episode.

At least a dozen other people who work as sideline reporters for football games rallied against Thompson, saying, in various ways, that she has destroyed her credibility.

“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” is what she said in a recent interview on “Pardon My Take. ” For reasons, she said, “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 going to make this up.’”

Place #1, no one who is still saying "I was like" when they are past the age of getting their permission slip signed to go on a field trip to the zoo should be working in journalism.

Place #2, did you ever have a friend or co-worker or acquaintance whom you caught making up a story they told you? And if so, did you ever trust anything they ever said again?

I know, these reports tend to be carbon copies of "Coach O'Hoolahan said the team just has to concentrate more in the second half and clean up some of the mental mistakes. Also, some tackling and blocking would be nice." Football coaches are not known to be great speakers or raconteurs as they race into or out of the locker rooms.

All this means is that Ms Thompson forfeits her right to tell me anything and have me believe it.  

And all THAT means is that she should no longer work as a reporter, if making stuff up is the best she can do.