More details have come to light about the death of journalist Grant Wahl.
Days after the sports reporter passed away in Qatar, his wife, Dr. Celine Gounder, shared his cause of death. "He had an autopsy done here in New York by the New York City medical examiner's office," Celine, an infectious disease specialist, said in a Dec. 14 interview with CBS News, "and it showed that he had an aortic aneurysm that ruptured."
Celine also noted in a Substack post on Dec. 14, "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."
Grant, 49, was covering the World Cup when he collapsed and died at the quarterfinal match between Argentina and Netherlands on Dec. 9. At the time, Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) said in a statement to NBC News that Grant "fell ill in the Lusail Stadium media tribune, during last night's quarter-final match. He received immediate emergency medical treatment on site, which continued as he was transferred by ambulance to Hamad General Hospital.
His family has been seeking answers about his cause of death, with brother Eric Wahl tweeting on Dec. 12, It seems possible Grant experienced a pulmonary embolism & was in a non-shockable state," but later saying it "was not PE" after all.
On Dec. 10, Eric wrote, "To clarify, Grant was a healthy person in his regular life. I know he'd been under the weather recently & that he was told it was bronchitis & given medication. I'm aware of his posts about feeling like his body shut down. He was a workaholic & had used that phrase before w me."
Previously, U.S. Soccer released a statement reflecting on Grant's death.
"The entire U.S. Soccer family is heartbroken to learn that we have lost Grant Wahl," the organization wrote in a statement Dec. 9. "Fans of soccer and journalism of the highest quality knew we could always count on Grant to deliver insightful and entertaining stories about our game, and its major protagonists: teams, players, coaches and the many personalities that make soccer unlike any sport."
The statement continued, "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. As important, Grant's belief in the power of the game to advance human rights was, and will remain, an inspiration to all."
Grant's wife, Celine, shared U.S. Soccer's statement and said she's "in complete shock."
Qatari officials' statement concluded, "We offer our deepest condolences to Grant's family, friends and his many close colleagues in the media. We are in touch with the US Embassy and relevant local authorities to ensure the process of repatriating the body is in accordance with the family's wishes."