Ryan Leaf Calls Jay Glazer A 'Con Man' During Bizarre Tweet

Ryan Leaf, the former NFL quarterback turned drug addict, turned prisoner, who once credited Jay Glazer with mentoring him as he was trying to enter the media industry, made the bold claim Monday that Glazer is a "con man." 

In a tweet that is raising eyebrows, Leaf, now employed by ESPN as a college football analyst, who once kissed Glazer's bald head on the Fox NFL set, went off on his old mentor. Leaf was replying to a conversation Michael Phelps had on "Meet the Press" with Kristen Welker where the Olympic medalist chokes up while talking about Glazer. 

While Phelps is sharing a rather powerful message about guys supporting one another, Leaf was seemingly boiling mad. 

"Glazer is a fraud when it comes to anything mental health or wellness related," Leaf declared. "He uses it for his benefit and really isn't invested in any of it unless it benefits him and his brand," the former Montana prisoner, who was arrested on domestic battery in 2020, continued. 

Leaf, who has yet to provide further commentary on why Glazer is a "con man," says Phelps being friends with Glazer "gives me pause." 

Today was quite the pivot for the Leaf-Glazer relationship when you think about where the two were in 2016 when Leaf sat across from Glazer and showed him cut marks on his wrist where the former QB attempted to kill himself. In 2019, Leaf called Glazer a mentor, but there were apparently signs these two were on the outs in 2021. 

Buried in a 2021 interview with Leaf written by Tyler Dunne of the "Go Long" Substack, we learn about what might be triggering these emotions from Leaf. 

Everybody has this "image." Everybody has this "reputation" of Ryan Leaf. And then they meet you and it’s not what they expected. When you go into meeting folks like myself, do you run through that stuff in your head? Does it even cross your mind like, hey, this is a chance for them to really see who I am.

Leaf: I don’t think about it. I just interact with somebody as if I would anybody anymore. But there’s one story. Jay Glazer, who covers the NFL for Fox, he started an unbelievable foundation with Nate Boyer called, ‘MVP.’ It stands for Merging Vets and Players. It’s to bring combat vets and former professional athletes together because the transition is so similar. What do you do once you take the uniform off. I remember I had reached out to Nate Boyer after I saw all the work he was doing during the Colin Kaepernick anthem protest and kneeling. I just reached out to him to tell him how much I appreciated his efforts and everything and he invited me to this group. Well, when he went to Jay, to tell Jay he’d like to invite me, Jay’s first response immediately was, "No, don’t! Don’t bring that guy here! What a piece of shit!" And I was like, "Boy, that’s really counterproductive to what his group is supposed to be about, right?" But Nate was like, "Hey, Jay, you don’t get to decide who we save." So, yeah, that’s the response I expect from people.

This is a similar story that Leaf told Rich Eisen in 2018, minus the "What a piece of shit," part of the story. What's ironic about the 2018 interview is that Leaf made sure to say that his then-mentor "has a huge heart." 

"But you understand why he had that reaction at first when he heard your name," Eisen pushed back. 

"Of course," Leaf shot back. 

According to the Merging Vets & Players website, it has helped over 2,000 military combat veterans, over 1,000 former pro athletes and has impacted over 10,000 lives since its founding by Glazer and Boyer. 

Did Leaf want a role with the foundation? Is today's tweet even referencing the relationship he had with Glazer through the nonprofit? 

Will Leaf actually give us context about his mentor or just go scorched earth and leaf it at that?

Stay tuned.