U.S. sports reporter covering World Cup who suddenly collapsed died as result of heart condition

Wahl's sudden, unexpected death in Qatar sparked speculation of foul play because days earlier he wore a T-shirt supporting LGBTQ+ rights.
Grant Wahl
By Joseph Weber

Grant Wahl, the U.S. sports reporter who collapsed and died last week while covering the World Cup in Qatar, died of an aortic aneurysm that ruptured, wife Dr. Celine Gounder said Wednesday.

She made the announcement amid speculation her husband died of foul play.

“It’s just one of these things that had been likely brewing for years, and for whatever reason it happened at this point in time,” Gounder said on the "CBS This Morning" TV show.

Wahl, a former Sports Illustrated soccer and college basketball reporter, collapsed while covering Friday’s Argentina-Netherlands match and was later declared dead, according to CNN.

Days earlier, he was denied entrance into the soccer stadium because he was wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with a soccer ball surrounded by a rainbow – the universal symbol for LGBTQ+ rights – in a country that has laws against homosexuality and public support for such rights.