I have never spoken to, interviewed, or met Jay Glazer, but I have to be honest, I really like Jay Glazer. The FOX Sports NFL Insider is a unique breed. A lot of reporters make headlines, Jay Glazer makes a difference. A lot of reporters get scoops, Jay Glazer gets real. A lot of reporters save sources and information, Jay Glazer, quite literally, saves lives.
In his book Unbreakable, Glaser candidly chronicles his career as well as his battles and success in overcoming anxiety. Moreover, he shows readers how they can do the same. His podcast of the same name features guests talking about their personal histories with mental health struggles.
Glazer’s Unbreakable Performance Center in West Hollywood brings athletes, actors, musicians, and business people together. He not only trains them physically, but also psychologically, helping them to live happier and healthier lives.
In 2015, Glazer and former Green Beret and Seattle Seahawk Nate Boyer founded Merging Vets & Players (MVP), addressing the challenges of combat veterans and professional athletes. The organization empowers veterans and athletes providing them with a new team to assist with transition and personal development.
Do you see what I mean? A lot of reporters are first with a headline, Jay Glazer is first in line to help.
With his background in reporting, mental health, physical fitness, and mixed martial arts, Glazer is the only guy in the business who can break a story, break a habit, break a sweat, and break your face.
And let’s be honest, Jay Glazer does not look the part of the buttoned down television reporter. He is short and bald, and his suits seem ready to split at the seams, clinging to his barrel-chested, muscular frame like a wetsuit.
Talented reporters like ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Jeff Passan, and Zach Lowe look like National Honor Society students. Glazer looks like the guy who takes the National Honor Society students’ lunch money and spends it on whey protein. He is stocky and thickset – basically a fire hydrant with a goatee and great contacts.
There are a lot of great reasons to watch FOX’s NFL Sunday pregame show. Reason 1 is the best NFL game day studio cast on television. Curt Menefee, Howie Long, Michael Strahan, Jimmy Johnson, and the timeless Terry Bradshaw are eternally captivating and interesting. Still, the best part of the show is Glazer.
When he provides the latest injury reports, you know he’s right as to who is playing or scratched for a game, and you know he has done his homework. Glazer doesn’t guess. He has first-hand contact with players, coaches, and trainers.
His ability to chase down a story, cultivate reliable sources, and present the information in an urgent, entertaining, and excitable manner are unparalleled in the business. Jay Glazer doesn’t just work at his job, he lives it. You can just tell that the guy throws everything he has into everything that he is doing.
Glazer also uses his vast social media presence to preach his gospel of physical and mental wellness. In a recent Instagram post @jayglazer, he talks about his past and credits Bradshaw with the turnaround.
Glazer wrote, “Since 2005, every freaking time I filmed a show and often during meetings, either before or during, I had these crazy attacks feeling the walls were caving in. I had no idea what it was, but man they were scary!
“For years and years, I was figuring (it) had to be heart issues, and I was going to doctors for it until I heard my brother and teammate Terry Bradshaw describe anxiety and BAM! Lightbulb went on and for the first time, I could deal with it and learn I was safe. I’m forever grateful to him.”
That is a powerful quote, but Glazer is to powerful quotes what Donald Trump is to controversial Tweets. Here is a sample of some of Glazer’s best motivational messages:
- “Vulnerability is what makes us so damn strong and badass. It’s not the muscles or the gun battles, the punches or shoulder pads, it’s the heart we show and tears we flow together that truly show our strength.”
- “Mental Health checkup for today to have something out there that’s real rather than compare ourselves to everyone else’s filtered freaking highlights that just make us feel worthless. I just want to get back to giving y’all updates that are real, raw, sometimes not pretty, but always authentic.”
- “Be the victor, not the victim. Every obstacle, wall, problem, adversity is a chance for us to overcome something. We can choose to view every problem as being a victim to it or the chance to overcome it, the chance grow stronger from overcoming it. Be the victor!”
- “That idle time when we are left to let our minds make up their stories is extremely counter-productive. Maybe if you ask someone what’s up, they may simply need an ear or an arm wrapped around them. We are all in this together, gang!”
Glazer often ends his messages with the words “Love you all,” a truly sweet emotion from a guy who looks like he snacks on toggle bolts. His relationship with many NFL athletes is just as personal. In a recent Instagram post, Glazer revealed that 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Ronde Barber was the very first person that he opened up to about his mental struggles and pain.
Glazer has broken numerous stories over his career including the Patriots-Bengals sideline taping incident, Tom Brady’s missing Super Bowl jersey, Jim Harbaugh’s move from the Niners to the University of Michigan, and several scoops related to the Patriots’ Spygate and Deflategate sagas. He has also appeared in numerous TV shows including HBO’s Ballers and FX’s The League.
One of the areas in which Glazer has had the most impact is Mixed Martial Arts. To say that he was ahead of the curve on this now wildly popular sport would be an understatement. In 2007, Glazer created the first mixed martial arts training program for pro athletes in America.
Along the way, he has trained over 1,000 pro athletes including past and present NFL stars Von Miller, Aaron Rodgers, Odell Beckham Jr., Bobby Wagner, Andrew Whitworth, Jadeveon Clowney, Lane Johnson, and Cam Jordan.
He currently serves as a host for Bellator’s signature MMA fights on the Paramount Network and previously worked as a host for UFC. The New Jersey native definitely brings the fighting gene to all of his multi-pronged media work.
In short, Jay Glazer is as much of a warrior and competitor as any of the NFL players he covers – from training athletes at his gym, to inspiring people to face and overcome anxiety, to competing in mixed martial arts.
He is an outspoken, connected, articulate, and compassionate personality, one who believes in fighting the good fight, whether it is to get the story first, the opponent in front of you in the octagon, or the fears and challenges that we all face in our hearts and minds.
John Molori is a weekly columnist for Barrett Sports Media. He has previously contributed to ESPNW, Patriots Football Weekly, Golf Content Network, Methuen Life Magazine, and wrote a syndicated Media Blitz column in the New England region, which was published by numerous outlets including The Boston Metro, Providence Journal, Lowell Sun, and the Eagle-Tribune. His career also includes fourteen years in television as a News and Sports Reporter, Host, Producer working for Continental Cablevision, MediaOne, and AT&T. He can be reached on Twitter @MoloriMedia.
