Jay Glazer, Fox Use Coronavirus to Drum Up Publicity for 'Big' News: TRAINA THOUGHTS

Jay Glazer teased, hyped an Brian Allen's coronavirus diagnosis for publicity

1. Really? Like, really?

Media members hyping scoops and overselling stories is a time-honored tradition. I do it on a daily basis when I have to plug Traina Thoughts on Twitter. But there are limits.

I'm not sure what Jay Glazer and Fox were thinking over the past couple of days when they decided to 1) hold, and 2) tease a story about Rams center Brian Allen testing positive for the coronavirus, but it was pretty shameful.

It started on Tuesday with Glazer promising "big, big" news.

WHOA. From @jayglazer w/us on @FoxSportsRadio - 'I am breaking big, big news tomorrow night on Fox Football Now. I mean big, national news tomorrow. I'm not kidding around.'

— Jason Smith (@howaboutafresca) April 15, 2020

With the NFL draft a week away and the NFL season in limbo, it was only natural for fans to speculate about the news. Glazer tried to make it clear he didn't have a transactional bombshell, but that only made things worse because people assumed it was news about the upcoming season.

The news I have tonight is not transactional news, not a player getting traded or signed. Woke up to seeing y’all going ape-you-know-what guessing what it is. It’s not what you think. Fox Football Now tonight 11 ET/ 8 PT after race

— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) April 15, 2020

Even if this was the typical news Glazer is so good at breaking—a trade, a firing, etc.—holding it for 24 hours would be strange. But teasing a coronavirus reveal is just distasteful.

Yet, that's what Glazer did, revealing the news of Allen's diagnosis late Wednesday.

Is the first NFL player publicly acknowledging he has tested positive for the coronavirus big news? Sure. 

But you don't hype and plug a coronavirus diagnosis for attention, publicity and social media likes. This isn't a pulled hamstring or torn ACL.

Glazer has a solid track record and does a lot of great charity work. This isn't a case of him losing all credibility, and only a dope on Twitter would say he should be canceled.

But what he did was seedy and cringeworthy.

2. Sad news from the WWE. The best ring announcer ever, Howard Finkel, died at the age of 69. If you grew up a WWF fan in the '80s, the Fink was a big part of your childhood. 

WWE is saddened to learn that WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel has passed away at age 69. https://t.co/tqmD68ZsQp

— WWE (@WWE) April 16, 2020

Let's take a trip down memory lane. CM Punk's using Finkel as his personal ring announcer was a truly great bit.

Here is Finkel's first-ever appearance in the WWE.

And here is Finkel announcing Hulk Hogan's title win over the Iron Sheik.

3. ESPN is covering all of its bases when it airs The Last Dance (Here's a review from SI's Rohan Nardkani) beginning this Sunday.

4. Mel Kiper takes a lot of hits, but you have to give him credit for his Tom Brady analysis when the QB was drafted out of Michigan by the Patriots.

5. Why did Drew Brees choose NBC over ESPN? What will happen to Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth with Mike Tirico and Brees ready to take over? Why did CBS part ways with Dan Fouts? Why did Charles Davis leave Fox for CBS? Where will Fox go for a No. 2 NFL analyst? Should the NFL draft be taking place? All this and more is covered on this episode of the SI Media Podcast with Andrew Marchand of the New York Post.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Play.

6. RANDOM YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE DAY: Bill Burr with a great rant on supermarkets.

7. SPORTS HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Nolan Ryan vs. Robin Ventura is always good for a re-watch.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on iTunes, Spotify or Stitcher. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.