For years, Jay Glazer has made his name delivering major NFL scoops and appearing on FOX’s football coverage with the confidence of someone who rarely backs away from a tough conversation. But over the years, Glazer has also been upfront about his struggles with mental health.
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On World Mental Health Day, Glazer shared a personal message about what changed when he stopped hiding his pain.
“I’m just a dude who’s learned, who’s f***** up, who’s learned how to be good with his f***** up-ness,” he said. “For years I hid it, you know, I’d come on FOX as ‘the Glaze’ and do this, and I thought that’s all people liked, and I didn’t have any self-worth.”
It takes courage for someone to talk about their mental health. FOX colleague Charissa Thompson offered support, writing “Proud of you,” in the comments.
In the new reel, Glazer also described the range of conditions he says he has faced, including clinical depression, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar disorder, and OCD-related anxiety. Glazer calls this medley ‘The Gray.’
He compared the competing thoughts in his head to roommates who do not get along, using humor to explain an experience he called difficult.
“The roommates in my head do not get along well at all,” Glazer said. “It’s atrocious, but sports and a sports locker room is perfect for me because we’re all f***** up, right? You can’t be great and not have some crazies, I like to say. As for me, there’s certain things that helps right between the ears, and one of those is having teams.
“My Fox NFL Sunday team is a team. My God is a team. My rescue dogs are a team. Like there’s so many different teammates out there, but that’s why my team’s really helped me. And my, listen, people also look and go, ‘Man, you’ve done this, your life’s great.’ My life is great, but between my ears sucks, and I didn’t sign up for this s**t.”
Glazer has also found ways to talk about his own struggles beyond his work on television. In 2022, he released Unbreakable: How I Turned My Depression and Anxiety into Motivation and You Can Too, sharing what he has learned from living with depression and anxiety.
He continues those conversations on his podcast, Unbreakable with Jay Glazer: A Mental Wealth Podcast, where athletes, coaches, and mental health experts discuss their experiences and ways of coping. The podcast’s focus is not on pretending difficult feelings disappear, but on finding ways to live with them and keep moving forward.
Glazer also noted once that he found a friend in iconic Olympian Michael Phelps, who also struggled with mental health issues. He’d also expressed gratitude for friends like Michael Strahan, who lent him a shoulder for support after he had spoken about his battles with the former Giants player.
Glazer has also used his platform to make room for other people’s stories. In 2021, he interviewed Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson on FOX NFL Sunday after Johnson stepped away from football to address his mental health. FOX later highlighted the conversation as part of its coverage of mental health in the NFL.
“I was ashamed, to be honest,” Johnson said. “In this league, the NFL, where it’s a gladiator-type sport, it’s something that’s not often talked about but is often felt throughout the league.”
Glazer then replied, saying, “This has got to be talked about.”
Johnson, of course, sparked massive debate after choosing to shockingly retire from the NFL this month. He had cited a focus on mental health and family in his message to fans.
Glazer’s latest message returned to the lesson he says took him years to learn: asking for support is not a sign of weakness.