Grant Wahl autopsy report reveals cause of death

The circumstances surrounding the death of Grant Wahl have led to some questions, but the soccer reporter’s widow says doctors in the U.S. have confirmed there was no foul play.

Wahl collapsed while covering the Argentina-Netherlands match at the World Cup in Qatar last week and died. He revealed on his most recent podcast episode that he had been battling bronchitis and made two visits to a media medical center. On Wednesday, Wahl’s wife Celine Grounder revealed in a post on Wahl’s website that Grant died of an aortic aneurysm that ruptured.

“An autopsy was 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,” Grounder wrote. “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.”

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price also said Monday that there was no indication of foul play in Wahl’s death.

Wahl, who was 49, was detained at the beginning of the World Cup in Qatar for wearing a rainbow shirt, also known as a pride shirt. That many made people suspicious about Wahl’s death. Wahl’s brother, Eric Wahl, added to the paranoia when he said in an Instagram video that his brother received death threats and he believes Grant was killed.