Jay Glazer, a longtime NFL insider with FOX Sports, has never hidden the fact that he has struggled with his mental health. During an appearance on Brandon Saho’s Mental Game Podcast, Glazer spoke openly about the suicidal thoughts he has faced and what those moments can feel like.
He was candid about the weight of those moments while also making clear that he has chosen to keep fighting through them.
“I was really in that thing of like, f**k, like I didn’t want to live. I have suicidal ideations a lot, and I feel that people are better off without me,” Glazer said on the podcast. “I still have those a lot.”
This is not the first time Glazer has spoken publicly about his mental health. He has previously discussed living with depression, anxiety, ADHD, and bipolar disorder, describing the difficult periods as “The Gray.” He has said that his struggles began early in life; his parents had him in therapy when he was only five years old. He has spent years trying to hide what was happening behind his energetic public personality.
Glazer has also used his own experiences to help others dealing with mental health. His book, ‘Unbreakable: How I Turned My Depression and Anxiety Into Motivation and You Can Too,’ goes into his personal struggles. He later launched Unbreakable with Jay Glazer: A Mental Wealth Podcast, where he has open conversations about mental health with athletes, coaches, and other public figures. FOX Sports describes him as a prominent voice for people dealing with mental health issues.
His friendship with former NFL star Michael Strahan has also played a major role in that journey. Glazer previously revealed that opening up to Strahan about his struggles changed their relationship, because it allowed his longtime friend to finally understand what he had been dealing with privately. He has also spoken about the support he receives from Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps, who is also an advocate of mental wellness.
Today, even though things get difficult at times, Glazer wants men to take more initiative for their mental wellness.
“Dudes need to start knowing you could be that warrior where you need to do warrior shit, but be more of a warrior by being vulnerable. If I caved into that, then everything I would have, all the help I’ve tried to help everybody else with, I would have been full of s—, and I can’t leave the world like that. I just can’t.”
Glazer has spent most of his career covering the NFL, but talking about his own struggles has become an important part of his story too. This time, he gave a much more personal look at what he goes through when his mental health takes a turn, while also talking about the people who help him through those moments.