Grant Wahl dead

[Oldtimer]

Grant Wahl has died, one of the greatest soccer journalists in North America. Passing of a giant.

News: https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/world-cup-2022-american-soccer-reporter-grant-wahl-dies-in-qatar-023454691.html

He had been detained earlier for wearing a Pride shirt to a game. His brother Eric suspects foul play:

https://mobile.twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1601412384597610496

However Kristian Jack talked with him prior and said Wahl wasn't feeling well due to bronchitis:

https://twitter.com/KristianJack/status/1601408180768374785

[ensco]

Not sure where this belongs but it deserves maximum visibility. Grant Wahl died in Qatar tonight. He was the dean of American soccer journalists, had a long career at Sports Illustrated.

Wahl frequently interviewed Bob Bradley, Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore over the years.

It is truly shocking news. He was only 48.

https://twitter.com/ussoccer/status/1601401947692863489?s=20&t=1I4ZK3ID54WqtWbfZWPM0w

[Mr. Inbetween]

Grant Wahl has died, one of the greatest soccer journalists in North America. Passing of a giant.

News: https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/world-cup-2022-american-soccer-reporter-grant-wahl-dies-in-qatar-023454691.html

He had been detained earlier for wearing a Pride shirt to a game. His brother Eric suspects foul play:

https://mobile.twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1601412384597610496

Shocking.
Terrible.
Happenstance?
Circumstances may be very concerning/odd.
Respected.
OG.
SHOF.
Heartfelt condolences.

[Oldtimer]

Hopefully an autopsy will be done in the US to clarify what happened. I'm sure his family wants to know. Truly tragic.

[ensco]

He clearly had not been feeling well for days.

https://twitter.com/joncouture/status/1601417847149838336?s=61&t=AazjNZDg8FtQ16OS9k06jQ

[Canary10]

I’m shocked. Don’t know what to say. I don’t want to jump to conclusions but it’s incredibly suspicious. Condolences to his wife and family. We lost a really important voice today.

[ensco]

I have to say that I suffered a bit from exhaustion over there. (Exhilaration too, don't get me wrong.)

But it was kind of grueling. I went to 12 games in 8 days. Walked 19,000 steps a day on average. Didn’t exactly eat on a schedule. Most days I did a 10pm game, when you do that you don’t back to your room until 2am, so you don’t get to bed until 2.30am or later. Plus he was working. Because of security cordons etc you needed to be in motion by 10.30am for a 1pm game the next day…

Everybody there was living a crazy schedule, by choice of course. It was a constant topic of conversation- it was nuts, but worth it. Not that I heard of anyone getting really sick. But it wouldn’t be good if you were sick and trying to keep that pace up.

An autopsy would be a good idea.

[Mr. Inbetween]

Very distressing and disturbing considering whom his spouse is.

[OgtheDim]

Without getting into the details, Jon Arnold quoted a trusted colleague who was in the press area at the time - this allayed many of the conspiracy theories running around out there.


********

Wahl was the best soccer writer in North America - full stop. And he nurtured dozens of his colleagues to be better & go beyond telling the scores & highlights.

His lens were, always, humanity & integrity.

His legacy is turning a genre of journalism from one based on passion for the sport to one equally based on passion for telling the stories well.

[Kamp Berg]

Very sad, and strange.

[Canary10]

Very distressing and disturbing considering whom his spouse is.

Why is that? I know who his spouse is but not sure what you’re implying.

[Mr. Inbetween]

Why is that? I know who his spouse is but not sure what you’re implying.

Sure.
To clarify.
Just spent a few moments attempting a quick review of the social medias.
Certainly meant to imply nothing as nefarious as being mentioned on a few of it's more nutter corners.
Get to her, through him, for her stances?
Not very probable.
And this is from me.
Someone who occasionally has a healthy respect for and enjoys a possibility of the more un/plausible conspiracy.
Enter... Khashoggi, Navalny, Kim Jong-nam, etc. ...

Wahl and his wife by all accounts were very well educated.
My intended implication was how truly awful the circumstance and outcome is.
Given what should of been a more acute illness awareness to potential complications/implications.
Suggestion is it involved 'Bronchitis'; which in simplicity is an infectious disease.
A cliche... but... men and doctors!
In the struggles of daily life, many never prioritize their own health.
I myself am guilty of this.
Perhaps, he had an undisclosed or an unknown underlying pre-condition.
Regardless, an autopsy, third party, for peace of mind is warranted.

[Initial B]

Definitely an autopsy. If the Qatari's burn the body before that happens, questions really need to be asked of them. Bronchitis-like symptoms are also a sign of Arsenic poisoning.

[Mr. Inbetween]

What I do also find very troublesome and disturbing.
And that may have already been highlighted.
Despite reports and images of being treated/triaged at the stadium; CPR, etc. ...
How competent really are the FIFA/Qatari host country health services?
There are 'mentions' that Wahl had to be placed in a ride share- UBER vehicle just to get to the hospital?
After being treated on-site for a considerable amount of time?
WTF?
No ambulances at the stadium?
About this I am failing to understand.

[Canary10]

Sure.
To clarify.
Just spent a few moments attempting a quick review of the social medias.
Certainly meant to imply nothing as nefarious as being mentioned on a few of it's more nutter corners.
Get to her, through him, for her stances?
Not very probable.
And this is from me.
Someone who occasionally has a healthy respect for and enjoys a possibility of the more un/plausible conspiracy.
Enter... Khashoggi, Navalny, Kim Jong-nam, etc. ...

Wahl and his wife by all accounts were very well educated.
My intended implication was how truly awful the circumstance and outcome is.
Given what should of been a more acute illness awareness to potential complications/implications.
Suggestion is it involved 'Bronchitis'; which in simplicity is an infectious disease.
A cliche... but... men and doctors!
In the struggles of daily life, many never prioritize their own health.
I myself am guilty of this.
Perhaps, he had an undisclosed or an unknown underlying per-condition.
Regardless, an autopsy, third party, for peace of mind is warranted.

Yeah. If anything I would hope he’d take any health concerns he may have been having more seriously given what his wife does. Really need to have an autopsy. I’m not conspiracy minded but the fact I don’t trust the Qataris and this feels really suspicious is sad. They should never have hosted.

[ensco]

I just thought I would throw a great Grant Wahl story up for people to enjoy. The US is ahead of us but we are on the same journey. I lived in the US for a long time, and a lot of what I think/know about soccer in our part of the world was shaped by Wahl (and Ives).

https://vault.si.com/vault/2000/09/11/remember-the-mayhem-unusually-boisterous-crowd-support-boosted-the-us-to-a-win-over-guatemala

[ensco]

https://twitter.com/tigermenssoccer/status/1601718137833291776?s=61&t=8yLKNHPnCea7Z8Xe1G2lMQ

[ensco]

https://twitter.com/jozyaltidore/status/1601563304585220096?s=61&t=Zh3nq4eAtu7rPXFsSUwWIA

https://twitter.com/jeremypond/status/1601666676059410432?s=61&t=Zh3nq4eAtu7rPXFsSUwWIA

[ensco]

Wahl's brother walked back that video he posted… suspect almost nobody has seen that.

https://twitter.com/ziplamak/status/1601831945587261440?s=61&t=Oc0hQSi9QWrhjYrcPp5E0w

The thing I have been thinking about is just how crappy the journalism business is. Wahl was the Damon Runyan of American soccer … and didn’t have a regular job. He probably felt he couldn’t stop for even a second, because how could he in a World Cup, a huge event for building his substack and podcast presence.

[Mr. Inbetween]

Some further clarifications/details emerging from Grant Wahl's brother, Eric...

AED = Automated External Defibrillator

https://twitter.com/ziplamak/status/1602129054811197440

[Mr. Inbetween]

For me, sometimes the simplest of sentiments are the most poignant...

https://twitter.com/ChrisWittyngham/status/1601406061650378752

[Mr. Inbetween]

...The thing I have been thinking about is just how crappy the journalism business is. Wahl was the Damon Runyan of American soccer … and didn’t have a regular job. He probably felt he couldn’t stop for even a second, because how could he in a World Cup, a huge event for building his substack and podcast presence.

I believe he may have had a falling out with SI; involving integrity?
Still, from all accounts and my understanding, the world of the 'classic journalist', including sports, is upside down.
In turmoil as a profession.

I was gobsmacked to have come across and read this.
I can't believe it is accurate.
Merely two decades ago.
The worlds most popular sport by far.
Just two US sports journalists?
A pioneer in the 2000's?
The lack of coverage of The Beautiful Game in (North) America.
How far Association Football/Soccer has come; and still must go.

https://twitter.com/StevePoliti/status/1601411734786306048

[ensco]

I believe he may have had a falling out with SI; involving integrity?

It involved integrity, yes. Theirs, not his.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/04/10/longtime-soccer-writer-grant-wahl-fired-amid-more-turbulence-sports-illustrated/

He did a podcast about what went on at the end of SI. The owners there were not nice people.

[Canary10]

It involved integrity, yes. Theirs, not his.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/04/10/longtime-soccer-writer-grant-wahl-fired-amid-more-turbulence-sports-illustrated/

He did a podcast about what went on at the end of SI. The owners there were not nice people.

He was well-paid. That was the reason he was fired.

I saw what his brother said. I imagine his first response was pure shock. It just seems so impossible that he just died. Grant was 48 (only a year younger than me). I saw his last tweet during the game that said the Netherlands pulled off a well-crafted trick play on the second goal. It just seemed inconceivable that he didn't even see who won the game in the end. It's just so shocking. This kind of thing happens of course, and maybe it's just one of those things. I do hope the US government does what is necessary to confirm the cause of death but with a bit of space from the shock it does seem like it's one of those unfortunate things.

[Mr. Inbetween]

No idea what may have caused his ‘sudden’ passing.
If I were to medically speculate as to a typical cause… perhaps an aortic dissection.
Regrettably, I have been exposed by individuals I have well-known to that experience several times in my life.

[Canary10]

No idea what may have caused his ‘sudden’ passing.
If I were to medically speculate as to a typical cause… perhaps an aortic dissection.
Regrettably, I have been exposed by individuals I have well-known to that experience several times in my life.

Yeah seems like it's something like that. Others around him in the media room have been saying similar things.

[Blindside16]

A third party autopsy is on the way

https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/12/football/grant-wahl-remains-repatriated-autopsy/index.html

[Oldtimer]

Grant Wahl's brother further walks back his accusation:

https://www.marca.com/en/world-cup/2022/12/12/6396c427e2704ec46a8b457d.html

[Canary10]

He died of a heart aneurysm according to the autopsy. I didn't see it but his wife was on CBS talking about it this morning. Seems like no foul play.

[ensco]

https://grantwahl.substack.com/p/a-note-from-grants-wife-celine-gounder

[Oldtimer]

Global News: 'Nothing nefarious': U.S. soccer journalist Grant Wahl's cause of death revealed by his wife - National | Globalnews.ca.
https://globalnews.ca/news/9347494/grant-wahl-cause-of-death/

[ensco]

One more tribute article. Including this one as it has multiple quotes from MB. Sounds like they “clashed” quite a bit (MB was a polarizing USMNT player)

https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2022/12/remembering-grant-wahl

[Mr. Inbetween]

https://twitter.com/JohnMolinaro/status/1620455725146193920

[ensco]

Nice tribute

https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/grant-wahl-remembered-mls-clubs-pay-tribute-on-matchday-1