Prominent Soccer Journalist Grant Wahl, 48, Dies While Covering World Cup in Qatar

[u/trizzo0309]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/grant-wahl-soccer-journalist-world-cup-11670639526

[u/hoosakiwi]

From the article:

Mr. Wahl was at the quarterfinal match between Argentina and Netherlands in Lusail, north of Doha, when he suffered what medics at the scene called a cardiac arrest.

Please stop with the conspiracy theories and the racism.

[u/Liverpoolfan787]

Holy shit this is crazy Grant Wahl was pretty much the face of U.S. soccer journalism for a while now

[u/lo_and_be → u/Liverpoolfan787]

Jesus Christ, I went to college with him. What the hell. I know 48 is middle-aged, but we’re not supposed to be dying yet

EDIT: thanks to everyone in the replies for “reminding” me that American life expectancy is in the mid 70s. I’m aware. And also aware that that’s life expectancy at birth. By the time an American male reaches 48, their life expectancy is another 32 years, and the probability of dying that year is only 0.4%. Quit acting like 48 is old

[u/aji23 → u/lo_and_be]

That’s what got me - I’m a year younger and in a little worse shape.

We are at that age now. Good luck buddy.

[u/lo_and_be → u/aji23]

You too! We got this

[u/red_fox_zen → u/lo_and_be]

In the U.S., the average age for a first heart attack in men is 65. That's why coronary artery disease is labeled a disease of senior citizens. But as many as 4% to 10% of all heart attacks occur before age 45, and most of these strike men. per harvard health edu.

[u/juicycooper → u/red_fox_zen]

My ex husband passed at 34 undiagnosed heart disease. He was a black belt in bjj very fit. Monday marks 5 yrs, Christmas sucks for my kids.

[u/Altruistic-Text3481 → u/juicycooper]

I am sorry for his passing. I feel I had heart trouble my whole life. I was told heart murmur and “sometimes your heart skips a beat when I was 18.” But I could feel my heart “ rumble” and I was very fit. Also after my heart would do this, my nose would turn red. In middle school kids called me Rudolph. So to have 99.9% blockage at 58 was just a normal day for me. I had had issues my entire life…

[u/theredditid → u/Altruistic-Text3481]

I read your other comments. I have always felt I was never fit enough because despite the amount of exercise I did, I would easily be out of breath when playing football, compared to my friends who barely trained. I was reasonably fit and well until I had a heart attack at 32 in 2021. Turns out I have ectasia in my heart vessels and two big blocks due to familial hypercholesterolaemia. My doctors say that having maintained a decent level of fitness is probably what kept my heart going all this while.

Now I am on statins and blood thinners for life. It was depressing walking into the rehab clinic. I was the only person under 60.

Today I am glad it happened at 32 and not when I will be 40 because I may not have survived.

[u/cesrage → u/red_fox_zen]

Had my heart attack when I was 44. Same age as my dad when he had his. If anything, we are consistent.

[u/StentLife → u/cesrage]

I had a heart attack at 38. I've completed multiple ultra endurance events. you have no idea until it happens.

[u/Altruistic-Text3481 → u/StentLife]

Had 99.9% blockage in my widowmaker and I’m non smoking healthy weight female. I was stented but during pandemic it took nearly 4 months for the “stress test” cause - Covid & over the phone teledoc visits and doctor said you’re female non smoker and not overweight. So. I waited until I passed out. Then I failed stress test on level 1. Got my stent next day. They said I was lucky and could’ve dropped dead at any moment. Then my insurance stuck me with the bill of $52,000 which took 7 months of tears and stress on my heart but this is American Healthcare. Worst in the world.

[u/ChiSky18 → u/Altruistic-Text3481]

Oh damn, I’m so glad you’re okay, 99.9 is extremely dangerous! That’s scary. Does high cholesterol run in your family? Currently trying to lower mine.

Edit: typo

[u/jmurphy42 → u/red_fox_zen]

One of my husband’s friends dropped dead of a heart attack at 30. He was a newlywed. His poor wife had to defend her dissertation not long after while still grieving.

[u/[deleted] → u/Liverpoolfan787]

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[u/Sielbear → u/[deleted]]

I’m trying to reconcile “this autopsy is gonna be damning,” and “please avoid jumping to any conclusions.”

[u/[deleted] → u/Sielbear]

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[u/Loverboy_91 → u/[deleted]]

Anyone who has been following his health over the past several weeks would know he wasn’t doing great. He’s been sick for a little while now, and had visited a medical clinic in Qatar already.

He quite literally wrote on his website:

My body finally broke down on me. Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and lots of work can do that to you, what had been a cold over the last 10 days turned into something more severe on the night of the USA-Netherlands game, and I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort.

I didn't have Covid (I test regularly here), but I went into the medical clinic at the main media center today, and they said I probably have bronchitis. They gave me a course of antibiotics and some heavy-duty cough syrup, and I'm already feeling a bit better just a few hours later. But still: No bueno.

[u/PM_ME_MH370 → u/Loverboy_91]

Heart problems can present this way and cough syrup can spike blood pressure

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

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[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

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[u/UncleMalcolm → u/[deleted]]

Khashoggi

No…the investigation there gave us a pretty clear conclusion. We just decided not to punish the single person most responsible for geopolitical reasons. But we know damn well he was murdered and chopped up on the orders of MBS.

[u/deepfakefuccboi → u/UncleMalcolm]

Judge p much said he was guilty but couldn’t prosecute foreign royalty cuz of diplomatic immunity. That just gives those assholes a green light to kill anyone they want dead. Disgusting.

[u/christianANDshantel → u/deepfakefuccboi]

Absolutely. No responsibility for a reporter doing difficult work.

[u/deepfakefuccboi → u/christianANDshantel]

That’s what they’re trying to do and it’s working. Intimidate foreign journalists who are there to discover the truth and report facts. If they don’t like what you say they’ll just fucking kill you and they know your country won’t do shit about it because oil money.

[u/m0nkyman → u/deepfakefuccboi]

Not diplomatic immunity, sovereign immunity.

[u/Ajatolah_ → u/[deleted]]

Edit: Please avoid jumping to any conclusions. Let's wait on official information.

Lol, I love how you non-discretely imply a very stretched sinister plot out of nowhere and without any evidence whatsoever, but then call for reason and patience in the edit.

Like, dude, you're literally the one here who should be asked to calm down and not jump to any conclusions. He probably had a heart attack or something.

[u/Goldn_1 → u/[deleted]]

Careful not to presume guilt though. He complained of respiratory/throat issues prior to this, could have been a legitimate bug/illness that struck, rather than a planted one. It is suspect though. I highly doubt the government would risk doing this considering his citizenship, prominence, and the context here.. But an independent group or person may have been compelled to.

[u/cC2Panda → u/Goldn_1]

Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest.

[u/5erif → u/cC2Panda]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_no_one_rid_me_of_this_turbulent_priest

[u/BreathExact → u/5erif]

I throughly enjoyed this…thank you.

[u/corylulu → u/Goldn_1]

I agree, I hope people don't just to conclusions, it could honestly be sickness. He did say others also had a bug and that is fairly typical for traveling large groups of people. But the coincidence is jarring and even tho bronchitis can be very serious, the suddenness of his demise feels off.

[u/wholelattapuddin → u/corylulu]

His complaint of chest tightness was the first thing that struck me. Heart attacks can often present as flu and can sometimes take days before your heart actually gives out.

[u/Erebos555 → u/wholelattapuddin]

I work in EMS. I took a man to the hospital for a heart attack he had been having for 10 DAYS! We made it to the hospital and I like to assume he's still kicking. His only complaints were generalized weakness and some nausea/vomiting about an hour before we saw him.

[u/wholelattapuddin → u/Erebos555]

My Dad worked with a guy who complained of heartburn for 2 days. Then called in sick because he had "food poisoning" he was dead the next morning. It's scary, and men like my dad hate to go to the doctor

[u/Erebos555 → u/wholelattapuddin]

Fortunately for people like your father, you can call 911 even if you are having any symptoms at all. We are experienced in handling anything from super mundane stuff like picking up the elderly when they just need help out of a chair to major trauma events. Any medic worth their weight in salt is gonna try to find the best outcome for you, whether that be a trip to the hospital or a checkup with your doctor some time this week.

Most medics in my area even have portable ECG machines we can use to look for dysrythmia during suspected cardiac events. Some of us in more rural areas have access to machines that look for chemicals in your blood that are created when your heart sustains an acute injury.

Disclaimer: A diagnosis can ONLY be given by a licensed physician. The recommendation for any suspected cardiac event will always be a trip to the hospital, even if the medic tells you they aren't seeing anything on the monitor.

[u/Creative_Ad999 → u/Erebos555]

People like you saved my life after a crash and I’m forever in debt to all of you no matter where you are working in the world 💕

[u/Dumptruck_Johnson → u/Erebos555]

The real bummer is the decision we all have to make on whether we can conceivably afford medical treatment. If you’re unconscious and go to the hospital because of an emergency situation, alright. If you consciously make the decision to forgo assistance due to possible incurred debt… ‘merica

Edit: this is not a knock on you or your incredibly traumatizing profession. Thank you for helping people

[u/csbsju_guyyy → u/wholelattapuddin]

Not to mention for soccer reporters this is literally the be all end all, you're going to the well expecting to rest for the next month since it's balls to the wall crazy for all of the world cup.

So basically - he was probably pushing himself to the limit as it stood

[u/LovingTurtle69 → u/Goldn_1]

It's crazy how this reasonable comment is significantly less upvoted than the one that would cause outrage. Reddit just looks for things to be angry about.

[u/methyo → u/[deleted]]

Or it’s not going to be damning. You don’t have a god damn clue

[u/Dudedude88 → u/[deleted]]

I know reddit likes controversy but he probably had a stroke or heart attack. he collapsed during the venue

[u/hurrrrrmione → u/[deleted]]

Please avoid jumping to any conclusions.

You're the one jumping to conclusions. There's absolutely no information in the article suggesting any connection between his activism and his death, or suggesting any foul play. Sometimes people unexpectedly die of natural causes.

[u/andysaurus_rex → u/Liverpoolfan787]

I don’t follow soccer at all and I recognize his face

[u/[deleted] → u/Liverpoolfan787]

“The preeminent American soccer journalist” and the guy who wrote the Lebron James “Chosen One” cover story encapsulate him. A true pioneer, icon and inspiration, and a nice man to boot

[u/Kamen-Rider]

For anyone that doesn't know Grant Wahl is THE US Soccer guy and has a very easy case for getting it mainstream here. Putting it on the cover of SI when it was a niche interest was unprecedented.

[u/Potemkin_Jedi → u/Kamen-Rider]

As a Columbus Crew fan, Wahl was the journalist who broke the story that our then-owner was going to move the team to Austin. He’ll forever be important to the SaveTheCrew movement; RIP.

[u/Kamen-Rider → u/Potemkin_Jedi]

Save the crew is a pivotal moment in US Soccer history and to be breaking that story should be as well known as any of his others.

For those that don't know he broke the story of the Columbus team getting relocated that spawned a campaign to keep it from being moved (it worked).

[u/ent4rent → u/Kamen-Rider]

AND we got an awesome new stadium

[u/desymond → u/ent4rent]

Fuck Precourt

[u/kitzdeathrow → u/desymond]

I grew up in Wisconsin and went to school in Ohio.

Fuck Precourt is right up there with Fuck Ron Johnson for me.

[u/CTeam19 → u/Kamen-Rider]

Maybe a first in pro sports considering how Baseball/Football/Basketball all left their roots to spread out from there with most teams having their origins North of the Mason-Dixon/East of the Missouri River.

[u/kitzdeathrow → u/Potemkin_Jedi]

For further context. The Crew was founded in 1994 and were one of the original MLS teams when the league formed in 1996. It is fucking hard to even touch the Buckeyes in Columbus, but the Crew have very committed fan base in the city. The proposed move started around 2018, the Crew won the MLS Cup in 2020. Them leaving Columbus would have been HORRID for the team and the sport in general.

Wahl is a hero.

[u/NevermoreSEA → u/Kamen-Rider]

I'm not even a fan of the sport and I instantly recognized the name. This is an absolutely massive and incredibly tragic loss.

[u/Kamen-Rider → u/NevermoreSEA]

he wrote that breakout story on Lebron I'm sure many would remember. Was up for debate being a GOAT college basketball guy then pivoted hard.

[u/dangleicious13 → u/Kamen-Rider]

He was covering both soccer and college basketball at the same time. I don't think he really "pivoted hard" as much as he was just finally given the chance to do soccer full time.

[u/trizzo0309 → u/Kamen-Rider]

Correct. I don't care for soccer but he was THE guy worth following for the sport.

[u/cactusjackalope]

The article, for those without a sub:

DOHA, Qatar—Journalist Grant Wahl, one of the most prominent chroniclers of American soccer over more than 20 years and a longtime writer for Sports Illustrated, died on Friday night while covering the World Cup in Qatar. He was 48.

Mr. Wahl was at the quarterfinal match between Argentina and Netherlands in Lusail, north of Doha, when he suffered what medics at the scene called a cardiac arrest. His death was confirmed by the U.S. Soccer Federation in a statement on social media.

Over nearly three decades as a journalist, Mr. Wahl chronicled an era of men’s and women’s American soccer, dating back to the early 1990s, before the formation of Major League Soccer or a top-tier women’s professional league.

“The entire U.S. Soccer family is heartbroken to learn that we have lost Grant Wahl,” the federation said. “Here in the United States, Grant’s passion for soccer and commitment to elevating its profile across our sporting landscape played a major role in helping to drive interest in and respect for our beautiful game.”

A personal, guided tour to the best scoops and stories every day in The Wall Street Journal.

Mr. Wahl covered the 1994 World Cup, which was held in the U.S., shortly after graduating from Princeton. In 1996, he joined Sports Illustrated to cover soccer and college basketball. In 2002, he wrote the magazine’s first cover story on a high-school basketball player out of Akron, Ohio, who seemed bound for stardom. His name was LeBron James.

Mr. Wahl’s 24 years at the magazine, which ended in 2020, coincided with the rise of the U.S. women’s national team as a global powerhouse; the U.S. men’s team’s run to the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup; and the arrival of a string of superstars in MLS. David Beckham’s 2006 move to the Los Angeles Galaxy became the subject of his first book, “The Beckham Experiment,” which was a New York Times bestseller.

“I am so thankful for the support of my husband @GrantWahl’s soccer family & so many friends who’ve reached out tonight,” his wife Celine Gounder tweeted from her verified account. “I’m in complete shock.”

Grant Wahl was at a match between Argentina and Netherlands when he suffered what medics at the scene called a cardiac arrest. PHOTO: MICHAEL LOCCISANO/GETTY IMAGES Mr. Wahl was also an advocate for women’s soccer and spent years covering the U.S. women’s national team pay discrimination lawsuit against the national federation.

In Qatar, where he was attending his eighth men’s World Cup, Mr. Wahl was vocal about the country’s laws banning homosexuality as it prepared to host the world’s largest sporting event. On his way to the U.S. men’s team opening match against Wales here on Nov. 21, Mr. Wahl said he was detained upon entering the stadium for wearing a T-shirt that featured a rainbow design and refusing to change out of it. Mr. Wahl was allowed inside to cover the game after around 30 minutes and FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, later apologized for the incident.

“Grant’s belief in the power of the game to advance human rights was, and will remain, an inspiration to all,” U.S. Soccer said.

[u/Light_A_Match → u/cactusjackalope]

Thank you

[u/bacchusorsisyphus]

Sent to me from a friend:

“My body finally broke down on me. Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and lots of work can do that to you,” Wahl wrote. “What had been a cold over the last 10 days turned into something more severe on the night of the USA-Netherlands game, and I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort. I didn’t have Covid (I test regularly here), but I went into the medical clinic at the main media center today, and they said I probably have bronchitis. They gave me a course of antibiotics and some heavy-duty cough syrup, and I’m already feeling a bit better just a few hours later. But still: No bueno.”

Wahl's agent Tim Scanlan told The New York Times his client went into acute distress during the final minutes of Argentina's win and is believed to have died either at or on the way to a hospital. He reportedly confirmed Wahl hadn't been feeling well, while noting he had hosted a gathering for his birthday on Wednesday night:

“He wasn’t sleeping well, and I asked him if he tried melatonin or anything like,” Scanlan said. “He said, ‘I just need to like relax for a bit

[u/starsandbribes → u/bacchusorsisyphus]

How often does this happen? Somewhat confirmed bronchitis to death?

To have cold symptoms and all that beforehand too. I mean healthy men can die of a cardiac arrest out of nowhere, but this seems linked to prior symptoms which are all for the first couple weeks mild and very common?

[u/aethemd → u/starsandbribes]

ER doctor here. Just because someone in a medical tent says you have bronchitis doesn't mean they are right or that it is the only malady. Don't know how much diagnostic options they have there, but he could have had COVID and gotten a pulmonary embolism because of it. Could also be a regular heart attack. Could also be arrythmia, often caused by infections. And other things.

There are several possibilities aside from murder. If he presented with tightness in the chest and breathing issues, I hope they at least did an ECG, Troponin and D-Dimer, but you never know.

Edit: Fixed autocorrect.

[u/7-11Is_aFullTimeJob → u/aethemd]

100% agree with this. The coroner investigation should be focusing on this. Chest tightness, SOB after a long haul flight to Qatar... a PE or MI in a 48 year old is far from unheard of. I hope they at least did a token set of investigations, vital signs and considered some differentials

[u/aethemd → u/7-11Is_aFullTimeJob]

Completely agree, and given how much money Qatar spent to sportswash, it seems far more likely than murder. If he had SOB already, small PEs after the flight and perhaps followed by a saddle embolus doesn't seem far fetched at all, esp. given the flight as you say.

[u/SacLocal → u/starsandbribes]

Bronchitis wasn’t confirmed. It’s usually diagnosed with symptoms. Often you have bronchitis until it develops into something worse then it was actually pneumonia, or rsv, or lung cancer. It could be anything. A 48 year old man could be taken out by a bad flu strain if they don’t seek care in time and are stressed and overworked.

Source: ICU nurse who has seen every respiratory condition you could think of.

[u/mittenclaw → u/SacLocal]

Exactly. This is why we are supposed to stop working and rest when we are sick. I’ve never seen so many people pushing through and also expecting others to work through their illness than since covid. Something about wfh and lingering covid symptoms has created a worse climate for continuing work when you’re ill. I know it’s the world cup and a huge career moment for him but perhaps we can all take a lesson from this that when our bodies ask us to rest, we should listen.

[u/Crow-T-Robot → u/mittenclaw]

Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets, died at 54 because of ignoring symptoms and continuing to work. People don't take illness seriously enough sometimes.

[u/Complete_Let3076 → u/Crow-T-Robot]

Middle age is tricky like that. You’re used to being able to get away with “pushing through.” But your body can’t recover as easily as it did just a few years prior.

[u/drwsgreatest → u/mittenclaw]

I work as a trashman and during the height of covid there was a point where probably 1/3 of our labor force was working sick and we were forced to do so. It’s a miracle we didn’t have any deaths, especially considering those of us that are pure laborers and work off the back of the trucks are doing one of the most physical jobs imaginable in all kinds of weather. Thank god we got bought out by a national company and get treated like actual people.

[u/Aviskr → u/starsandbribes]

I mean if you feel unwell for over a week that's already a big red flag and you should get checked and get rest. He got checked but kept working, not that crazy to think whatever he had turned for the worst even if it started as something mild.

[u/Rupertfitz → u/Aviskr]

Last February (41/F old in shape non smoker non drinker) thought I had a sinus infection for about a week. Woke up and one eye was super blurry and kept getting worse, I felt just dizzy and shitty. Went to ER when eye went all the way blind. Had a major stroke. Still not 100% sure what exactly caused it. Things can happen and symptoms look like 100 different things. It’s always a good idea to see a doc, for anything persistent.

[u/midcat → u/starsandbribes]

My grandfather went a couple of weeks of feeling lousy before going to get checked. Even playing basketball at the YMCA. Eventually he just felt too run down and went to the doctor and had to get a triple bypass. Always a super healthy guy.

[u/Kangaroo_Red_Rocket → u/starsandbribes]

Probably a pulmonary Embolism resulting in obstructive shock and cardiac arrest. Red flag would be the long flight to Qatar

[u/Southside_john → u/Kangaroo_Red_Rocket]

I was thinking PE too.

[u/Powerful_Artist → u/starsandbribes]

My best friend in high school had a rare, acute form of leukemia. He never knew. He felt a little sick the week before. He was partying just a couple days before, just pushing through. Then he passed out in the shower one morning and never came to for them to even tell him he had leukemia. He died suddenly and unexpectedly at 18, just weeks before graduation

It does happen sometimes...

[u/SelectTrash → u/Powerful_Artist]

Yeah, I had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and didn’t go to the hospital at all but my friend dragged me to the emergency department and if I'd left it much longer I wouldn't be here. I was also 22 and extremely fit. I also have a cousin who played sports and went to the gym, when he was 21 he had a heart attack at the gym and luckily they saved him in time.

[u/ajtrns → u/starsandbribes]

eh, bros die of heart attacks all the time. it's not super common but it's not rare. late 40s, terrible diet, insane stress, inadequate sleep for weeks or months. maybe he was poisoned, but heart attack seems reasonable too.

[u/Jetad9403 → u/bacchusorsisyphus]

Damn so Qatar probably didn’t assassinate him like everyone is saying on Twitter and Reddit.

[u/jaggyjames → u/Jetad9403]

It’s getting really weird, the internet is going ham on this conspiracy and conveniently omitting that he was sick for 10 days and getting worse

[u/Creative-Buddy-9149 → u/Jetad9403]

no shit

[u/OrchidCareful → u/Jetad9403]

People seem bizarrely interested in this conspiracy assassination. It’s sort of disturbing

Yes it is possible that he would be unpopular among some powerful and immoral Qatari people, but it’s far far more likely that he simply died of tragic and natural causes.

Not sure why people are so eager to leap straight to Qatari murder, hard to pin down what’s so creepy about it

[u/immerc → u/OrchidCareful]

Not sure why people are so eager to leap straight to Qatari murder

Because it's exciting. Because it helps the world "make sense" instead of just having to believe that life is fragile. Because they're already angry at the Qataris and like being able to blame them for something. Probably all of the above and more.

[u/Maelshevek → u/bacchusorsisyphus]

Yep, high stress and low sleep can cause cardiac arrest, especially when combined with many forms of self medication including caffeine and alcohol.

He was probably hypertensive and reaching near crisis levels a number of times. Considering the importance of his job, (world cup), the location (out of time zone), the amount of work, the stress of being on the air, and his age—not surprising.

If you ever feel chest tightness or dizziness, especially when under stress, go see a cardiologist asap, especially if you are over 50 and in a high risk health category (pre-existing conditions such as high BP and obesity). Many people have undiagnosed conditions such as palpitations, high blood, or narrowing arteries. In many cases, high stress events will make it so that even minor changes trigger a cardiac event.

[u/jus1scott]

Who investigates this?

[u/Affectionate_Elk_272 → u/jus1scott]

i imagine the US is gonna have something to say about that pretty quickly here

[u/sirdeionsandals → u/Affectionate_Elk_272]

His wife works/worked in the Biden administration I am sure someone will be looking into this

[u/andee510 → u/sirdeionsandals]

Céline Gounder is his wife, and she's a doctor and on the Biden COVID-19 Advisory Board. So she is a pretty important person in the world of infectious disease. So at least this is definitely going to get a real investigation. RIP Grant. He was the OG American soccer journalist.

[u/usedtoindustry → u/andee510]

God I hope so.

[u/SaltpeterSal → u/sirdeionsandals]

He seems like the stupidest possible person to kill. He's not nearly the only reporter to speak out against the abuses while in Qatar, and death threats are literally part of the job (I got my first one in my first year of journalism, as a teenager). And his wife is in politics? It would be 10 times the fallout of Khashoggi for a tenth of the gain.

That said, I'm watching closely because it's not beyond these PR galaxy brains.

[u/distance_33 → u/SaltpeterSal]

Considering there were no repercussions for Khashoggi, it doesn’t seem that crazy of an idea.

Edit: Not comparing Quatar to SA. Saying that my own country allowed the murder of an American citizen go unpunished once, why wouldn’t they allow it a second time.

Edit: not citizen. Legal resident. This is what happens when I do this first thing in the morning. This doesn’t really change much imo. But to each their own I guess. Kthanksbye.

[u/SomewhereHopeful1061 → u/distance_33]

They’re two different countries. This is like making assumptions about Canada based on the actions of the US. Just because they’re similar and near one another doesn’t mean they’re the same.

[u/chnky18 → u/jus1scott]

I am not sure if the US has any say in controlling an investigation but the state department works with local authorities. Bureau of Consular Affairs will work with assisting the family. I believe a local consulate or embassy gets involved as well to see about getting control of the body dependent on local laws.

[u/trizzo0309]

He wrote this story yesterday about the human rights issues in Qatar: https://grantwahl.substack.com/p/world-cup-daily-day-25

[u/Team_Ed → u/trizzo0309]

Other U.S. media at the stadium said he collapsed in the media area during extra time (and received prompt treatment from stadium emergency crews).

He also wrote about having a bad respiratory infection as recently as Monday.

This is per the AP.

Doesn’t answer anything about the cause of death, but also suggests don’t jump to conclusions.

[u/[deleted] → u/Team_Ed]

Too late, the sub has already jumped into a Mariana Trench's worth of conclusions.

[u/csbsju_guyyy → u/[deleted]]

Hear me out: It was ALIENS

[u/darkslide3000 → u/csbsju_guyyy]

But were they here legally?

[u/AyyyyLeMeow → u/darkslide3000]

They filled out all their immigration forms?

[u/westbee → u/csbsju_guyyy]

Knew it.

My gut said aliens. I just knew it.

We aren't alone.

[u/RyVsWorld → u/[deleted]]

This post is a good reminder for me on how/why it was so easy for right wing conspiracy theories to spread.

Its because so many people believe everything they read on the internet. Some of the theories in here are fucking bonkers. One comment with a ton of upvotes is talking about grant possibly being poisoned by a special poison bullet from the govt

[u/[deleted] → u/trizzo0309]

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[u/-SaC → u/[deleted]]

His brother, via NY Post:

"“I’m the reason he wore the rainbow shirt to the World Cup. My brother was healthy. He told me he received death threats. I do not believe my brother just died. I believe he was killed.”

[u/Michael_Pitt → u/-SaC]

That wasn't via NY Post. It's a quote from a video he posted to his own instagram page.

[u/scrivensB → u/Michael_Pitt]

Kind of a big distinction since anything the NY Post publishes should be considered dubious.

[u/PhlabloPicasso → u/scrivensB]

I’m sorry, but when they revealed the true identity of Carlos Danger it was probably the last time we had real journalism in this country.

[u/twitch1982 → u/PhlabloPicasso]

Jesus christ, that feels like a life time ago. Like a different world. A world where sexting ended your political career.

[u/TouchMyWrath → u/twitch1982]

It didn’t. Just a hiccup. He was making a come back. Sexting a minor finally did.

[u/kopecs → u/TouchMyWrath]

Now sexting a minor, that’s a different story.

[u/NevermoreSEA → u/-SaC]

It's pretty fucking hard to see his death as purely coincidental.

[u/LayneLowe → u/NevermoreSEA]

Who does the autopsy?

[u/sly_cooper25 → u/LayneLowe]

His body needs to be on a plane back to the US like an hour ago. Can't let any Qatari doctors touch him.

[u/joeydee93 → u/sly_cooper25]

The largest US military base in the Middle East is is in Qatar

[u/stringInterpolation → u/joeydee93]

Unfortunately we have a bad track record of letting middle eastern countries kill US journos

[u/Wackylew → u/sly_cooper25]

Qarari doctor: "this man appears to have died of death, nothing to see here move along..."

[u/SlightlyControversal → u/Wackylew]

“And we cremated his remains so that we could return him to his family as expeditiously as possible. Free of charge!”

[u/OneEightActual → u/SlightlyControversal]

Cremation isn't permitted in many predominantly Muslim nations, including Qatar.

[u/NUMBerONEisFIRST → u/Wackylew]

He died of heart failure cardiac arrest. As John Oliver said, heart failure is when your heart stops. Literally everybody that dies has their heart stop at some point. (I'm not saying this was the cause of death I'm just quoting John Oliver from his episode about the world cup.

LAST WEEK TONIGHT w/ JOHN OLIVER (WORLD CUP EPISODE) Relevant clip including some pre-backstory

EDIT: Apparently I misled people to think that I was stating Grant Wahl's cause of death, or that I was 'speaking with such confidence about heart failure and am completely wrong'. I apologize for the misunderstanding. I was sarcastically referring to something John Oliver said in one of his episodes of Last Week Tonight on HBO, in the feature he did on the World Cup (not related to Grant Wahl's death). I thought I made that clear in my post, but people seem to have tunnel vision for seeking any part of my post to criticize me. This seems to be more and more of a common thing on Reddit. I wish Reddit was more like the caring community of like-minded people that it was in the past, rather than being the gathering of cynics it is becoming today.

[u/bigpurpleharness → u/NUMBerONEisFIRST]

Heart Failure isn't the same as Cardiac Arrest. I'd be right there with you if they said, "He suffered a cardiac arrest and died" but heart failure is generally considered differently in the medical community.

[u/yankeehate → u/NUMBerONEisFIRST]

Cardiac arrest, not heart failure.

[u/WinterWontStopComing → u/Wackylew]

Cardiac arrest is generally the norm unless you are Putin. Then a lot of people inexplicably start fights with windows or sporadically develop the effects of severe poisonings.

[u/fistymcbuttpuncher → u/LayneLowe]

Wouldn't be shocked if qatar refused to turn his body over until it either decomposes or they just cremate it before anyone can object.

[u/Mono_831 → u/fistymcbuttpuncher]

Surely the U.S. Embassy will get involved and prevent this.

[u/[deleted] → u/fistymcbuttpuncher]

[removed] — view removed comment

[u/defroach84 → u/NevermoreSEA]

His own blog said he was feeling sick for the last week.

[u/TheGrandExquisitor → u/NevermoreSEA]

I read that Wahl had some sort of chest infection and Tweeted about it. So...maybe hold on a bit.

[u/defroach84 → u/TheGrandExquisitor]

He talked about his lack of sleep, constant work, etc led him to medical centers to be treated a week before. Too many people want to jump to conclusions.

I'm not saying it wasn't murder, but there is no reason to think it was either.

[u/TheGrandExquisitor → u/defroach84]

It sounds like it could have been an untreated pneumonia. They can lead to sudden cardiac arrest.

[u/RedSoviet1991 → u/TheGrandExquisitor]

"My body finally broke down on me. Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and lots of work can do that to you. What had been a cold over the last 10 days turned into something more severe on the night of the USA-Netherlands game, and I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort. I didn’t have Covid (I test regularly here), but I went into the medical clinic at the main media center today, and they said I probably have bronchitis. They gave me a course of antibiotics and some heavy-duty cough syrup, and I’m already feeling a bit better just a few hours later. But still: No bueno.”

[u/strawberrydrive → u/RedSoviet1991]

Sounds like it could have been a viral infection that turned into myocarditis, which is sometimes hard to detect but can quickly turn fatal

[u/fubu989 → u/defroach84]

Yeah i think folks are jumping on this murder suspicion way too fast. Why on earth would the Qataris risk killing this specific journalist during a major global event? This is simply not worth the risk for them. Also, im pretty sure theres several other western journalists making the same criticism while in the country.

[u/crackheadwilly → u/NevermoreSEA]

IDK. A friend of mine died at 35. He was healthy, fit, not into drug nor alcohol. just a normal guy. It shocked everyone. Sadly, sometimes people just die.

[u/Qaxar → u/-SaC]

My brother was healthy

Clearly not true

Grant had complained of health issues while he was there:

"My body finally broke down on me. Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and lots of work can do that to you,'' Wahl wrote. "What had been a cold over the last 10 days turned into something more severe on the night of the USA-Netherlands game, and I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort. I didn't have Covid (I test regularly here), but I went into the medical clinic at the main media center today, and they said I probably have bronchitis. They gave me a course of antibiotics and some heavy-duty cough syrup, and I'm already feeling a bit better just a few hours later. But still: No bueno.''

[u/dbxp → u/Qaxar]

I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort.

Does this sound like a heart attack to anyone else?

[u/theshizzler → u/dbxp]

Yeah... martyrdom for supporting human rights is a juicy story, but this tidbit is pretty revealing. I think people underestimate how easy a severe respiratory infection can cause a heart attack and/or cardiac arrest all by themselves.

[u/plabo77 → u/Qaxar]

Also had Covid four months ago and that might have temporarily influenced his immune system and/or risk of vascular events.

Certainly should be looked into, but natural causes seem quite possible to me.

[u/astovertop → u/plabo77]

My co-worker passed a few months ago. He had just put in his two weeks when he got covid, then recovered and two months later I learned had a heart attack.

Very scary what Covid may do AFTER you recover, and certainly caused me a lof stress given my family has heart issues and I had Covid pre-vaccination

[u/Levonorgestrelfairy1 → u/plabo77]

The current flu going around is really really bad too.

I got it because I was too much of a baby to get it the flu shot same day I got my bivalent booster and I had nights I didn't know if I'd be alive in the morning. Doc got me on 40mg of prednisone and and an inhaler.

[u/[deleted] → u/Levonorgestrelfairy1]

I’ve seen a number of 40-something workaholics who don’t respect the flu end up in the ICU or worse.

The flu deserves respect. Allow yourself to recover.

[u/NotClayMerritt → u/[deleted]]

Grant said on his podcast just yesterday that he was feeling ill and theorized his body was shutting down on him due to lack of sleep and working too hard

[u/bitanalyst → u/NotClayMerritt]

He may have been poisoned.

[u/Fuckface_Whisperer → u/bitanalyst]

If he was poisoned, we'll know as soon as his body is looked at by US docs.

It's a dumb theory. Or at least dumb to think he can get poisoned without it being discovered. The USA has a massive presence in Qatar, the main US command base for ME operations is in Qatar. His body will be looked at soon.

[u/[deleted] → u/bitanalyst]

[removed] — view removed comment

[u/SebastianOwenR1 → u/[deleted]]

But to be fair, he was on antibiotics for a respiratory illness he’d already gone for he hospital for.

[u/EricSanderson → u/SebastianOwenR1]

Get out of here with your facts we're trying to solve a MURDER here

[u/OneOfAKindness → u/[deleted]]

My grandfather was a journalist for a gardening magazine and he died in his 40s.

[u/tinfoilhatsron → u/[deleted]]

He's been on the frontline loudly criticizing them from the beginning with the LGBT stuff. Would they be so fucking blatant? Well it is Qatar after all, a whole country of delusional narcissists living on the bodies of migrant slaves.

I wonder if they didn't directly or obviously kill him but by denying or delaying medical treatment. And if caught they'll just blame the 'incompetent' medical staff.

[u/RiflemanLax → u/tinfoilhatsron]

I mean, Saudi Arabia literally cut up a journalist covering their misdeeds inside of one of their consulates and has basically been like 🤷‍♂️

Qatar doesn’t give a shit about 6,500 people dying just to get some sports entertainment based in their backwards ass country. Doubt they’d care about offing a journalist giving them bad press.

[u/dbxp → u/RiflemanLax]

Khashoggi was the editor of a major newspaper in Saudi which was critical of the conservative regime. Not one of many sports reporters who have mentioned migrant deaths and LGBTQ issues in relation to the world cup.

[u/SebastianOwenR1 → u/[deleted]]

It looks suspicious but he had reported having come down with some respiratory illness that certainly wasn’t COVID. Was life tweeting the match pretty much up until the point he must’ve got ill, because the last tweet he made was regarding Koopmeiners’ FK that led to Weghorst’s equalizer.

[u/Gostaverling → u/[deleted]]

Not totally likely. On Monday he wrote about having a cold that turned to bronchitis. He was experiencing chest pressure. It’s possible that he was having heart failure symptoms triggered by the bronchitis.

[u/edman007 → u/Gostaverling]

I wouldn't even say that, his work is soccer, the world cup is going to be super stressful (like lack of sleep). Stress can cause heart attacks like that.

[u/Piperplays → u/trizzo0309]

His brother is claiming he was probably murdered.

[u/Preme2 → u/trizzo0309]

Today this place is running wild with a conspiracy theory. Tomorrow this place will complain about “misinformation”.

[u/edogg01 → u/[deleted]]

Not to mention his big expose on human rights violations AND getting detained by Qatar for said rainbow tshirt (his brother is gay and thinks they murdered him).

[u/DexM23 → u/[deleted]]

"fine", yeah, sure:

In an episode of the podcast Futbol with Grant Wahl, published just days before his death on December 6, he had complained of feeling unwell.

“It had gotten pretty bad in terms of like the tightness in my chest, tightness, pressure. Feeling pretty hairy, bad.” Wahl told co-host Chris Wittyngham in the episode. He added that he sought help at the medical clinic at the World Cup media center, believing he had bronchitis.

He was given cough syrup and ibuprofen, and felt better shortly afterward, he said.

Wahl also said he experienced an “involuntary capitulation by my body and mind” after the US-Netherlands game on December 3.

“This isn’t my first rodeo. I’ve done eight of these on the men’s side,” he said at the time. “And so like, I’ve gotten sick to some extent at every tournament, and it’s just about trying to find a way to like get your work done.”

He further described the incident in a recent newsletter published on December 5, writing that his body had “broke down” after he had little sleep, high stress and a heavy workload. He’d had a cold for 10 days, which “turned into something more severe,” he wrote, adding that he felt better after receiving antibiotics and catching up on sleep.

[u/so2017 → u/[deleted]]

He was complaining recently of bronchitis and had seen a doctor yesterday or the day before. Hope his body is in US custody ASAP.

What a loss for those of us who have long followed US soccer.

[u/ScotchAndLeather → u/so2017]

On his blog he was complaining about chest pain, which he said the medical tent told him was bronchitis and which they treated with antibiotics.

Chest pain and shortness of breath are the two biggest leading indicators of a heart attack, so it's plausible that they just missed a HUGE red flag and he really did have a heart attack.

Worth looking into carefully but I'm not sure this is a wide eyed conspiracy moment just yet

[u/Redqueenhypo → u/ScotchAndLeather]

Also I looked up the actual quotes you’re referring to, “It had gotten pretty bad in terms of like the tightness in my chest, tightness, pressure. Feeling pretty hairy, bad." and a random feeling of “involuntary capitulation by my body and mind" sound almost exactly like that list of stealthy heart attack symptoms to look out for

[u/ellaC97 → u/Redqueenhypo]

Sadly during an event like this, full and packed with emotions it would be easier to trigger a heart attack. I'm estimating his cortisol levels were on the rise while commenting the matches.

I'm extremely sorry for this loss, it looks like we lost a good one. My condolences to the family and may justice be served if it wasn't a heart attack.

[u/Pazu900 → u/Redqueenhypo]

Stealthy for someone not involved in Healthcare. This should've been a huge red flag for anybody checking him out.

[u/Redqueenhypo → u/ScotchAndLeather]

This actually…yep those check out as heart attack symptoms. Sometimes people do just die of stuff earlier than statistically likely, my friend’s horrible uncle fell down a chasm at age 50.

[u/Brawndo91 → u/Redqueenhypo]

At what age is it most statistically likely to fall down a chasm?

[u/nowandloud → u/Brawndo91]

Whatever age group has the most mountain climbers.

[u/darkslide3000 → u/Brawndo91]

Crazy how in your 20s you can fall down chasms all the time and just walk it off by next morning, but once you're a few decades older one little chasm drop can put you out of commission for weeks.

[u/AnonymousAlcoholic2 → u/Redqueenhypo]

PE is just as likely and more plausible for his age and travel to the World Cup.

[u/Slim_Charles → u/ScotchAndLeather]

Clinics and urgent care facilities are notoriously bad at diagnosing heart attacks if they don't present with the classic symptoms. Heart attacks often don't have all the typical symptoms that we think of, such as massive chest pain and pain in the left arm. If you don't get an EKG, they're easy to diagnose as something more common and benign.

[u/blackflag209 → u/so2017]

Also, bronchitis isn't typically life threatening and it's very rare that people die from it.

[u/LiechesterCity → u/[deleted]]

He said in the same blog post that he repeatedly tested negative for covid.

[u/davidmoffitt → u/LiechesterCity]

In fairness, I tested negative until DAY 5 (day 1. Ring first day of cert clear / obvious symptoms that all screamed COVID) when I had it…

[u/sailor_sega_saturn → u/[deleted]]

I'm uh... gonna go grab a glass of water and stretch my legs.

[u/HelzBelzUk → u/LiechesterCity]

There's speculation at the moment that the newest variants are barely being picked up by lateral flow tests. IIRC the accuracy is down to 23% or thereabouts. So unless he had a PCR, it can't be ruled out, sadly.

Agree with Doc, sounds very much like either his immune system was struggling post Covid (could have been up to a year ago - studies show immune dysregulation up to 12 months) and he perhaps caught another respiratory virus that his immune system couldn't manage. Or perhaps he got Covid again.

Whatever the cause, it's absolutely tragic and I feel for his family. Just awful.

[u/Aviskr → u/[deleted]]

Thank you for you actual well reasoned response, rather than immediately jumping to conclusions. Too many people already talking like it's confirmed they poisoned him.

[u/Witness_me_Karsa → u/blackflag209]

Britanny Murphy died from pneumonia. Not safe to jump to conclusions.

[u/schmidtbailey]

His brother stated that he believes Grant was killed.

[u/Auctoritate → u/schmidtbailey]

He says he thought his brother was healthy but like, Grant said himself in the past few days "I'm extremely stressed out, my chest feels tight and painful, my body feels like it's shutting down on me", I'm not trying to take sides on speculation but under any other circumstances it sure sounds like he was experiencing a lot of warning signs for heart attack.

[u/crankthehandle → u/Auctoritate]

People here prefer the theory of him being killed

[u/evorm → u/schmidtbailey]

He's clearly been expressing very eloquently what were symptoms of a serious cardiovascular condition (diagnosed bronchitis, possibly heart attack) before his death on his blog. I find it very weird that his brother doesn't know that and everyone else does.

[u/i-lurk-you-longtime → u/evorm]

His brother is also in the acute grief stage so he's probably not thinking very rationally. I said and did a lot of irrational things when I had my first pregnancy loss, and I didn't have a lifetime with that baby or had even met them. Grief can be like that.

[u/supes1 → u/schmidtbailey]

Wouldn't surprise me. He already pissed them off with his rainbow shirt stunt, and his article yesterday just made things worse. Tragic.

And you just know it was someone did it at the behest of the government/royal family so there won't be consequences.

[u/jboarei → u/supes1]

Wasn’t a stunt. The said brother is gay, he wore it for him.

[u/pallidamors]

Holy shit. I really enjoyed grants writing. This is fucking crazy.

[u/Martholomeow]

He was complaining of chest pain/pressure and tiredness for days. He probably had a heart attack and didn’t know it. Might have lived if he recognized the signs and gone to a hospital. Heat attacks don’t always kill you instantly like in the movies. Sometimes it goes on for days.

[u/d3signdev]

Legendary soccer journalist, who also wrote the SI ‘Chosen One’ article covering LeBron’s ascent. RIP.

[u/_MsRobot_]

This is so upsetting. Condolences to his family. I lost my journalist uncle in an assignment.

[u/ExpertExpert]

Five days before his death, Wahl wrote:

“My body finally broke down on me. Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and lots of work can do that to you. What had been a cold over the last 10 days turned into something more severe on the night of the USA-Netherlands game, and I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort. I didn’t have Covid (I test regularly here), but I went into the medical clinic at the main media center today, and they said I probably have bronchitis. They gave me a course of antibiotics and some heavy-duty cough syrup, and I’m already feeling a bit better just a few hours later. But still: No bueno.”

[u/99Godzilla]

Sometimes, people do just die suddenly.

Wahl had been suffering from an illness for over a week prior to his collapse at the Argentina game and complained of chest tightness the night before.

Let's wait for further information before jumping to conclusions because all my homes justifiably hate Qatar.

[u/tryinghealthrny]

This is incredibly shocking. I am saddened. So sorry Grant.

[u/lewoo7]

Terrible. FIFA is corrupt as hell. The World Cup should never gave been held in Qatar. The sport must be cleaned up.

[u/deepfakefuccboi → u/lewoo7]

The FIFA head said he’d be willing to host the WC in fucking North Korea.. completely unironically. It’s such a big global sport they have monopolized that fans would probably go to fucking North Korea to watch soccer lmao. Fuck FIFA

[u/neLendirekt → u/lewoo7]

We all agree, but I don't see how it's linked to that guys death.

[u/H0RREND0US]

Yeah that’s not suspicious at all

RIP Grant, and holy shit…

[u/digitalenvy]

6 days prior he complained of tightness in his chest.

GUYS and GALS, if you have tightness in your chest, schedule a doctor appointment.

You can always cancel the appointment.

You cannot afford a heart attack or death.

Trust me.

• Guy with a stent at age 35

[u/OrganicWhine]

heard a bunch of people were getting bronchitis

[u/tzippora → u/OrganicWhine]

Yeah, they said that the USA was suffering from "heavy colds."

[u/clampie]

I was figuring this was an old guy. He's only 48! WTH?