Longtime soccer journalist Grant Wahl died right now whereas overlaying the World Cup in Qatar. Details surrounding Wahl’s loss of life are murky, however NPR stories he collapsed shortly earlier than the tip of the Netherlands-Argentina match right now. Much extra on that beneath.
Wahl wrote for Sports Illustrated earlier than beginning his personal substack. He recurrently appeared on CNN, Fox Sports and CBS Sports as a commentator. It was Wahl who wrote the SI story that acquired LeBron James the journal’s cowl whereas LBJ was nonetheless a junior. The journal’s obit right now says Wahl additionally labored at John Skipper’s Meadowlark Media and was a producer on the corporate’s Good Rivals docuseries for Prime Video.
Wahl’s spouse, Céline Gounder, is a former advisor on Covid to the Biden Administration. She wrote tonight on Twitter:
“I am so thankful for the support of my husband @GrantWahl‘s soccer family & of so many friends who’ve reached out tonight. I’m in complete shock.”
Her assertion was hooked up to a retweet of U.S. Soccer’s submit to social media, which reads partially, “The entire U.S. Soccer family is heartbroken to learn that we have lost Grant Wahl. 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.”
U.S. State Department Spokesman Ned Price indicated officers are in contact with Wahl’s household and, “We are engaged with senior Qatari officials to see to it that his family’s wishes are fulfilled as expeditiously as possible.”
Wahl was overlaying the epic match between Argentina and the Netherlands right now, Univision VP Digital Content Rafael Cores recalled. “I was sitting next to him tonight. He was working on his story on his laptop, it was about 4 minutes before the end of the extra time. He was laughing at a joke we saw on Twitter only minutes earlier. I can’t believe it.”
What occurred subsequent, per NPR: “An NPR reporter witnessed a commotion in the press tribune at Lusail Stadium. Reporters scattered as Wahl collapsed. Paramedics responded to the seating area where he was and performed CPR. After many minutes, they took him away on a stretcher while using an automatic chest compressor to continue applying CPR.”
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Wahl had not been shy about expressing his convictions whereas in Qatar. On November 21, he wrote he was refused entry into the stadium for the USA-Wales match as a result of he was sporting a rainbow shirt.
“You have to change your shirt. It’s not allowed,” the safety guard allegedly informed him. He ultimately made it into the media heart, however referred to as the incident “an unnecessary ordeal.”
His brother Eric Wahl stated the reporter had gotten loss of life threats due to the shirt and Eric suspected foul play in his brother’s passing. Grant Wahl additionally talked about on a podcast posted yesterday that he was battling a case of bronchitis and his physique “had rebelled” on him. As a consequence, he canceled all his appointments on Thursday and was resting. He reportedly had a bout of Covid again in August.
Yesterday, he printed a pointed piece criticizing Qatari officers for his or her lack of concern about human rights and, particularly, migrant deaths within the nation.
Reporting on the loss of life of a Filipino employee within the Saudi Arabia coaching resort throughout the event’s group stage Wahl wrote:
We know the Qatari Supreme Committee doesn’t care as a result of its CEO, Nasser Al-Khater, informed you all you wanted to listen to in an interview with the BBC that was breathtaking in its crassness.
“We’re in the middle of a World Cup, and we have a successful World Cup. And this is something that you want to talk about right now?” Al-Khater stated when requested concerning the employee’s loss of life. “I mean, death is a natural part of life, whether it’s at work, whether it’s in your sleep. Of course, a worker died. Our condolences go to his family. However, it’s strange that this is something that you wanted to focus on as your first question.”
Notably, in its assertion U.S. Soccer particularly acknowledged that “Grant’s belief in the power of the game to advance human rights was, and will remain, an inspiration to all.”
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