Grant Wahl, Qatar World Cup Journalist, Died From Burst Blood Vessel, Not Foul Play

The family of Grant Wahl, the reporter, blogger, and author, announced that his death while covering the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was the result of a rupture in a blood vessel connected to his heart, confirmed by an autopsy performed in New York, the Washington Blade reports.

Image Credit: Pixabay

The 49-year old journalist made headlines when Qatari security detained him for wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with rainbows surrounding a soccer ball in support of his gay brother and the LGBTQ+ community. He died December 9.

Eric Wahl raised suspicions in a since-deleted Instagram video that his brother’s death was not natural, and revealed Grant Wahl had received death threats.

But according to The New York Times, the sportswriter’s death was the result of a weakness in an artery wall called an aneurysm. According to The Times, “Wahl experienced a catastrophic rupture in the ascending aorta, which carries oxygenated blood from the heart.”

There has been speculation, especially on social media, Wahl’s death was related to Covid-19 vaccines or retaliation by the Qatari government, for either wearing the shirt or for an article Wahl wrote about the deaths of immigrant workers building the sports complex in Qatar.

The newspaper noted Wahl’s widow, Dr. Celine Gounder, is a leading infectious disease physician and former adviser to President Joe Biden’s transition team on Covid-19. Speculation that his death was the result of vaccines was especially insulting, she said, because of her work.

“He probably died instantly and did not feel pain,” Gounder told The Times. “I really do feel some relief in knowing what it was.”

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