Fox Sports' Jay Glazer was profiled on HBO's "Real Sports" last night. HBO's Bryant Gumbel said Glazer has become the "ultimate NFL insider, a guy who can go to any NFL venue, talk with any NFL person and dig up dirt like no one else in the business." Gumbel added in "recent years it seems as if all the biggest NFL stories have been broken by Glazer." Glazer said he is an "information broker" and only puts out "about 3% of what I'm told." Former NFLer Michael Strahan said people trust Glazer and confide in him because he is "your friend before any story." Glazer said it bothers him he has "broken several stories over the years" that other news outlets, like ESPN, have "attacked" by saying they were inaccurate. Glazer said ESPN breaks "enough stories. They have great reporters at ESPN, great. They don't have to act like they have every single damn story." Gumbel: "If, in fact, others in his business are jealous or outraged, it would be understandable because Glazer has so many relationships with owners, coaches and players that he's routinely accorded special treatment." Meanwhile, Gumbel noted Glazer has a "passion" for MMA and in the "last three years alone, Glazer says he has trained more than 50 players." Gumbel: "Between the training, the business relationships and the friendships, he is a far cry from the journalistic standards of Edward R. Murrow. But that's just fine with Glazer." Gumbel said to Glazer, "To a certain extent, your relationship, you have to admit, does compromise you." But Glazer said if he had a scoop on a friend in the league he "would put it out in two seconds" ("Real Sports," HBO, 9/20).
