Grant Wahl, the 48-year-old American sports journalist who wore a pride shirt to a World Cup soccer game on November 21 and was told to remove it by the host country of Qatar due to its criminalization of homosexuality, died in the stadium Saturday during the game between Netherlands and Argentina, something his brother suspects is foul play.
"My name is Eric Wahl," Grant's brother said in a clip posted by Outkick. "I'm gay. I'm the reason he wore the rainbow shirt to the World Cup. My brother was healthy. He told me he received death threats. I do not believe my brother just died. I believe he was killed."
The Associated Press reports that Grant Wahl wore the Pride rainbow shirt, which signifies support for LGBTQ rights during the game between the United States and Wales in the Muslim-majority country of Qatar. The conservative sect of Sunni Islam, known as Salafi, is the state religion.
Grant Wahl was sitting in the portion of Lusail Stadium held for journalists when fellow reporter Rafael Cores said he was laughing and seemed healthy before his collapse.
Cores wrote, "I'm in shock. 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. My deepest condolences to @GrantWahl's family."
Wahl was treated on site for roughly 30 minutes and then transported to Doha's Hamad General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead with no cause of death given.
The World Cup said in a statement, "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."
Wahl did report some symptoms of illness on Monday on his website and wrote, "My body finally broke down on me. Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and lots of work can do that to you."
"What had been a cold over the last 10 days turned into something more severe on the night of the USA-Netherlands game, and I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort," he added and noted that he tested negative for Covid.
His birthday was on Wednesday. He is survived by his wife, Dr. Celine Gounder.Join and support independent free thinkers!
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