WASHINGTON — Soccer journalist Grant Wahl died from an aortic aneurysm that ruptured while covering the World Cup in Qatar, his family revealed Wednesday morning.
Wahl’s widow, Dr. Céline Gounder shared details on his cause of death during an interview with “CBS Mornings” and in a note on Wahl’s website.
She explained in the interview that the aortic aneurysm was likely brewing for years and for whatever reason happened at this point in time.
“The chest pressure he experienced shortly before his death may have represented the initial symptoms,” Gounder wrote online. “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’s brother, Eric Wahl, had said in the immediate aftermath of the journalist’s death that he believed his brother “was killed.” After Wahl’s body was brought back to the United States and an autopsy was performed, Eric Wahl said his family no longer suspected foul play.
Wahl, who had complained of respiratory problems in the days before his death and had been treated for a possible case of bronchitis, fell back in his seat in a section of Lusail Stadium reserved for journalists during extra time of the World Cup match between Argentina and the Netherlands, and reporters adjacent to him called for assistance.
Emergency services workers responded very quickly, treated him for 20 or 30 minutes on site and then took him out on a stretcher. The World Cup organizing committee said he was taken to Doha’s Hamad General Hospital.
Wahl wrote for Sports Illustrated for more than two decades and then started his own website. He was a major voice informing an American public of soccer during a time of increased interest after the United States hosted the 1994 World Cup.
He also brought a critical eye to the international organizing bodies of the sport.
Wahl wore a rainbow T-shirt in support of LGBTQ rights to the United States’ World Cup opener against Wales on Nov. 21 and wrote that security refused him entry and told him to remove the shirt. Gay and lesbian sex is criminalized in Qatar, a conservative Muslim emirate.
Wahl wrote he was detained for 25 minutes at Ahmed Bin Ali stadium in Al Rayyan, then was let go by a security commander. Wahl said FIFA apologized to him.
What is an aortic aneurysm?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an aortic aneurysm is a balloon-like bulge in the aorta, the large artery that carries blood from the heart through the chest and torso.
In 2019, aortic aneurysms or aortic dissections were the cause of 9,904 deaths in the United States.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.