Tag: Grant Wahl

Grant Wahl’s wife said he died from a ruptured aortic aneurysm at the World Cup

“No amount of CPR or shocks would have saved him … There was nothing nefarious about his death.”

The shocking death of celebrated American sportswriter Grant Wahl last week has left the sports world in mourning.

The New York Times bestselling author reportedly collapsed in the media tribune while covering Friday’s quarterfinal between Argentina and Netherlands. Medical personnel tried to revive Wahl for approximately 20 minutes.

Wahl, 49, was taken out of Lusail Iconic Stadium in Doha, Qatar on a stretcher by medical responders and later transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

His body was transported back to the United States on Monday, where the New York City Medical Examiner’s office performed an autopsy, according to Wahl’s wife, Dr. Céline Gounder.

Dr. Gounder appeared on CBS this morning and posted on Wahl’s Substack:

“An autopsy was performed by the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office. Grant died from the rupture of a slowly growing, undetected ascending aortic aneurysm with hemopericardium. The chest pressure he experienced shortly before his death may have represented the initial symptoms. No amount of CPR or shocks would have saved him. His death was unrelated to COVID. His death was unrelated to vaccination status. There was nothing nefarious about his death.”

Wahl had a tear in his aortic valve, which is a blood vessel that carries blood from the heart. He experienced an ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm, which often goes undetected.

Doctors are reportedly considering whether Wahl had Marfan syndrome, per the New York Times, as this genetic syndrome can be a risk factor for that type of aneurysm.

Gounder suspects her husband “probably died instantly” and did not feel pain. She said she wanted to ensure that “conspiracy theories” about his death were put to rest.

In the immediate aftermath of the death, Wahl’s brother, Eric, posted on Instagram that Grant was healthy and believes that the journalist was killed. He has since tweeted that he no longer suspects foul play.

Wahl’s coverage of the tournament was among the most prominent. He had been critical of human rights abuses and the rising death toll of migrant workers in Qatar due to the World Cup.

He was previously detained for wearing a t-shirt supporting LGBTQ rights ahead of the United States’ tournament opener against Wales and most recently called out the organizing committee for a lack of empathy over the latest migrant worker death during group play.

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LeBron James talks about the death of journalist Grant Wahl

Grant Wahl, who wrote Sports Illustrated’s famous cover story on LeBron James in 2002, passed away on Friday, and James paid his respects.

On Friday night, word emerged that Grant Wahl, a legendary sports journalist who was covering the soccer World Cup in Qatar, had died at the age of 48.

He had recently suffered from what appeared to be an upper respiratory infection, and after receiving treatment for chest discomfort, it was believed he had come down with a case of bronchitis.

Although Wahl had most covered soccer during his career, he penned a cover story for Sports Illustrated that introduced the world to a high school basketball phenom named LeBron James in 2002.

James commented on Wahl’s passing after his Los Angeles Lakers lost in overtime to the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.

After Wahl’s piece on James, the hype grew, and with a few exceptions, James has met or exceeded the hype that has surrounded him since.

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FOX Sports pays tribute to Grant Wahl during Saturday’s World Cup coverage

The Kansas native and former FOX journalist was 48.

The stunning death of American soccer journalist Grant Wahl in Qatar on Friday led FOX Sports’ coverage of the 2022 World Cup when the broadcast resumed Saturday morning in the United States.

Wahl, who previously worked at the network for several years, was remembered at the start of FOX’s pregame coverage ahead of a quarterfinal matchup between Portugal and Morocco. A clearly shaken Rob Stone welcomed viewers into FOX Sports’ studio on location in Doha, Qatar by announcing the news to its viewers.

Wahl, 48, reportedly collapsed in the media tribune while covering Friday’s quarterfinal between Argentina and Netherlands. He was taken out of Lusail Iconic Stadium on a stretcher by medical responders and transported to a local hospital. An official cause of death has not been disclosed.

Wahl’s coverage of the tournament was among the most prominent. He had been critical of human rights abuses and the rising death toll of migrant workers in Qatar due to the World Cup. He was previously detained for wearing a t-shirt supporting LGBTQ rights ahead of the United States’ tournament-opener against Wales and most recently called out the organizing committee for a lack of empathy over the latest migrant worker death during group play.

United States Department of State spokesperson Ned Price said American officials are in touch with both Wahl’s family and Qatari officials.

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LeBron James shared some incredibly kind thoughts about Grant Wahl after hearing about his death

Grant Wahl introduced the world to LeBron James. Now the Lakers’ star is mourning him with the rest of us.

The world’s big introduction to LeBron James was through a Sports Illustrated cover story.

That story opened our eyes to a 17-year-old basketball phenom who had been dubbed as the heir to Michael Jordan himself in the basketball world. All of these expectations had been heaped upon him by the public and the question was whether or not he could actually live up to it all.

Obviously, he did. And Grant Wahl knew about it before us all because he’s the one who wrote the story.

That same Grant Wahl has died. The world learned about his tragic death on Friday. He was covering the World Cup Quarterfinals in Doha, Qatar. The sports world has been mourning this deep, significant loss since the news broke.

LeBron James is included in that. The Lakers star spoke very kindly about the journalist who introduced him to the world after the Lakers game against the 76ers.

“Very fond of Grant. And having that cover shoot, me being a teenager and him covering that was a pretty cool thing. He was always pretty cool to be around and spent a lot of time in my hometown of Akron covering me over the course of time before that shoot came out…I’ve always kind of watched from a distance. Even when I moved up in the ranks and became a professional. He kind of went to a different sport and things of that nature. Over the years, anytime his name would come up, I would always think back to me as a teenager and having Grant in our building down at Saint V. So, it’s a tragic loss to lose someone as great as he was. I wish his family the best and may he rest in paradise.”

Well said. Rest easy, Grant Wahl.

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The sports world mourns the death of prominent sportswriter Grant Wahl

The journalist known for his incredible coverage of soccer died at the age of 48.

Grant Wahl, a longtime American sportswriter, died on Friday.

The journalist and New York Times best-selling author was covering the World Cup in Doha, Qatar and reporting on the quarterfinals match between Argentina and Netherlands.

His wife, Dr. Céline Gounder, confirmed the news on her Twitter account. The United States Soccer Federation celebrated Wahl’s ability to “advance human rights” through his words.

Wahl’s coverage was critical of the Qatari World Cup organizers and their apathy surrounding the death of migrant workers. Wahl was also previously detained for wearing a t-shirt supporting LGBTQ rights.

Wahl reportedly collapsed in the media tribune and was removed from the stadium on a stretcher, per the Los Angeles Times. The initial cause of death is unknown.

Wahl’s brother, Eric, posted on Instagram that Grant was healthy and believes that the journalist was killed.

The media world and the soccer world remembered Wahl after the horrible and unimaginable tragedy.