Soccer writer Grant Wahl, who died at World Cup, suffered aneurysm
American soccer writer Grant Wahl died of an undetected ascending aortic aneurysm with hemopericardium while attending the Netherlands-Argentina match last week, according to his wife, Dr. Celine Gounder.
Gounder said an autopsy had been performed by the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office.
"Grant died from the rupture of a slowly growing, undetected ascending aortic aneurysm with hemopericardium," she wrote in a post on her Substack. "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."
Wahl, a well-known and loved journalist in the U.S. soccer community, collapsed in the media room during the match on Dec. 9 and could not be revived.
The 49-year-old said on his podcast, "Fútbol with Grant Wahl," two days before he collapsed that he had bronchitis and went to the medical clinic twice. He had said on the podcast that he wasn't back to "100%," but was feeling better.
"While the world knew Grant as a great journalist, we knew him as a man who approached the world with openness and love," wrote Grounder, an infectious disease expert who was part of President Joe Biden's COVID-19 transition team. "Grant was an incredibly empathetic, dedicated, and loving husband, brother, uncle, and son who was our greatest teammate and fan. We will forever cherish the gift of his life; to share his company was our greatest love and source of joy."
Wahl began his journalism career with Sports Illustrated in 1996. He worked there, covering everything from college basketball to World Cups and the Olympics, until 2020. He then started his own podcast and newsletter. He wrote two books -- "The Beckham Experiment," about David Beckham's foray into MLS, and "Masters of Modern Soccer: How the World's Best Play the Twenty-First-Century Game."
Wahl even ran for FIFA president in 2011, though he did not receive the necessary backing of a national soccer federation and dropped out.
He was an outspoken critic of corruption in FIFA and the organizing body's decision to hold the World Cup in Qatar, due to the deaths of hundreds of workers and a lack of rights for women and LGBT individuals in the country.
Due to his criticism, Wahl's sudden death sparked questions of conspiracy. Wahl's brother, Eric, initially said he suspected foul play only to retract that on Monday.
"We have seen no indication of foul play or anything nefarious at this point," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Monday. "We did receive excellent cooperation from our Qatari partners as soon as we learned of Grant Wahl's passing."
ABC News' Shannon Crawford contributed to this report.
