The wife of Grant Wahl, the soccer journalist who died suddenly while covering the World Cup in Qatar, told CBS Mornings he died of a ruptured aortic aneurysm.
Wahl, 49, was a long-time soccer reporter who worked for Fox Sports, CBS and wrote on Substack. Wahl collapsed Friday in Doha during the quarter-final match between the Netherlands and Argentina.
Grant Wahl’s wife, Dr. @celinegounder, reveals that the renowned journalist died due to an aortic aneurysm that ruptured at the World Cup.
Gounder says she hopes he is remembered as a “kind, generous person who was really dedicated to social justice.” pic.twitter.com/aaVkb2dhrb
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) December 14, 2022
Paramedics arrived on the scene and performed CPR on Wahl before transporting him to a hospital. (RELATED: Second Journalist Dies Covering World Cup In Qatar)
The autopsy conducted in New York disputed previous rumors circulating online that suggested Wahl’s death might have been connected to the COVID-19 vaccine, according to The New York Times (NYT). Wahl’s wife, Dr. Celine Gounder, and his family denied any links between his death and the vaccine, the NYT reported.
Wahl reportedly had a cold in the days leading up to his death.
Qatari authorities detained and then later released Wahl a few days prior to his death, after he showed up to a match wearing a t-shirt that expressed support for LGBT rights.
Free to read: What happened when Qatar World Cup security detained me for 25 minutes for wearing a t-shirt supporting LGBTQ rights, forcibly took my phone and angrily demanded that I remove my t-shirt to enter the stadium. (I refused.) Story: https://t.co/JKpXXETDkH pic.twitter.com/HEjr0xzxU5
— Subscribe to GrantWahl.com (@GrantWahl) November 21, 2022
Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar.
Wahl’s brother, Eric, said at first that he suspected foul play, posting a video to Instagram expressing that he himself is gay and saying his brother wore the t-shirt for him. Eric also said his brother was in good health.
Absolutely bone chilling stuff
Soccer journalist Grant Wahl who was kicked out of a stadium in QATAR for this shirt has reportedly collapsed and passed away during the Argentina game today
His brother says on Instagram that Grant was fully healthy & believes there’s foul play pic.twitter.com/t47C2XfuVl
— JACK SETTLEMAN (@jacksettleman) December 10, 2022
Eric later said he does not suspect foul play, according to the NYT.