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Sports Media Reacts to Prominent Soccer Journalist Grant Wahl’s Death in Qatar
“At the beginning of the tournament, Grant Wahl made headlines for documenting the ways he was harassed by World Cup security.”

Published
2 months agoon
By
BSM Staff
On Friday night, Grant Wahl’s brother Eric took to social media to announce that the beloved soccer journalist had died while in Qatar. Eric expressed doubts about the official story, which was that Wahl collapsed at Lusail Iconic Stadium and later died at a nearby hospital.
Since the news of Grant’s death, more facts continue to be learned. CBS News reported that Wahl suffered a heart attack at the World Cup. However, those who were near him when he collapsed have expressed shock over a defibrillator not being available in the area. It’s known that Wahl had complained recently of feeling ill and took time to rest to try and get his body back on track. Whether or not those symptoms contributed to his passing are still unclear.
The facts surrounding Wahl’s death still leave many with a lot of questions. The American soccer journalist recently wrote a story the day before his passing where he called out Qatar’s government over their treatment of migrant workers. He also made headlines at the start of the tournament drawing attention to World Cup security asking him to delete photos he had taken and detaining him before the USMNT’s match with Wales for wearing a shirt with the rainbow pride flag on it.
Eric Wahl noted in his since deleted Instagram video that Grant wore the shirt in support of him and his husband.
Wahl’s wife Celine confirmed her husband’s passing on Friday night when many were confused over Grant’s brother’s social media post. The news sent shockwaves across the world and created a flurry of activity online from members of the sports media industry.
I am so thankful for the support of my husband @GrantWahl's soccer family & of so many friends who've reached out tonight.
— Céline Gounder, MD, ScM, FIDSA 🇺🇦 (@celinegounder) December 10, 2022
I'm in complete shock. https://t.co/OB3IzOxGlE
U.S. Soccer Statement On The Passing Of Grant Wahl: pic.twitter.com/CBp1mCK1mQ
— U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer) December 10, 2022
Grant Wahl was kind. Needlessly kind. I love him and I’ll miss him.
— Chris Wittyngham (@ChrisWittyngham) December 10, 2022
He treated me with a level of respect I didn’t deserve. He gave me an opportunity when I needed one. And most importantly he was kind. Needlessly kind
I’ll miss him. I’m devastated beyond words
💔💔💔
— Taylor Twellman (@TaylorTwellman) December 10, 2022
Grant Wahl was unbelievably kind to everyone, but I was especially touched by how warm and welcoming he was towards my mom when he realized she was a huge soccer fan. Heartbreaking news. https://t.co/v99QlQayoi
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) December 10, 2022
This is horrifying.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) December 10, 2022
If this smells as we think it does, all the members of FIFA who took bribes to send the World Cup there have blood on their hands. https://t.co/iyndatc96x
This is absolutely horrible. RIP. The blood money behind this tournament is sickening https://t.co/KEOVXE4EhJ
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) December 10, 2022
Oh my God.
— Vic Lombardi (@VicLombardi) December 10, 2022
He was just on our show Wednesday.
This can’t be. https://t.co/DEfl5J4lUk
This is a terrible tragedy and I hope Fox covers this like it should be covered. It would be absolutely enraging if they continue to hide and ignore covering anything problematic off the field. https://t.co/mD3ukWrXyI
— Ben Koo (@bkoo) December 10, 2022
I’m not sure what to believe on the Grant Wahl rumors. But he was one of the kindest, coolest, most talented journalists I’ve ever known. He was Soccer Royalty here in the U.S., incredibly friendly and gracious, and my stomach is in knots at the moment.
— Damon Amendolara (@DAonCBS) December 10, 2022
Grant Wahl was my friend, one of the nicest, most truly decent people I have ever had the opportunity to work with. I am flattened. https://t.co/tOd1ET6TZj
— Will Leitch (@williamfleitch) December 10, 2022
This Grant Wahl news is beyond tragic. Hell of a reporter. I'll leave it at that for the moment.
— Jay Busbee (@jaybusbee) December 10, 2022
Can't go anywhere in US soccer circles without bumping into someone Grant Wahl was good to — anything from a quick hello & some kind words to some meaningful career advice. Just a truly good guy.
— Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) December 10, 2022
Heartbroken tonight.
The only accusation of foul play at this point is coming from Grant’s brother. But given Wahl’s recent reporting, his clean bill of health prior to leaving for Qatar, and his prior run-in with World Cup security, it’s understandable why many want additional information. If by chance Grant’s brother Eric is right, and Wahl’s death was not an accident, it could force the American government to get involved, and create a huge mess for US soccer and its media partners.
Sports Online
Bomani Jones: Chris Canty Made Me Rethink How I Look At This Job
“You’ve heard me say this before. I have a particular respect for former athletes that get in and treat this job with care like in the same way they would the other job.”

Published
2 days agoon
February 3, 2023By
BSM Staff
The Right Time with Bomani Jones has been one of ESPN’s most successful podcasts recently. Part of the appeal is that the conversations can go anywhere. Jones and his guests talk plenty about sports, but they will venture into pop culture, current events, and more. When it is “Foxworth Friday”, there is a good chance that the show will give some insight on other ESPN personalities.
On the most recent edition of The Right Time, Bomani Jones and Domonique Foxworth discussed how hard it can be to come up with a unique view on a topic every single time you are asked to talk about it. When Foxworth said that ESPN Radio’s Chris Canty makes it a little easier for him to be entertaining in those moments, Jones added to the praise.
He discussed a conversation he and Canty had at a Halloween party hosted by FOX’s Nick Wright.
“You’ve heard me say this before. I have a particular respect for former athletes that get in and treat this job with care like in the same way they would the other job,” Jones said. “Chris was like ‘Hey man’. You know, he’s got a Super Bowl ring, but he’s like ‘I didn’t get a gold jacket. I wasn’t great at that. But this? I have a chance to be great at something else.’”
Bomani Jones was impressed by that attitude. He admitted that it was eye-opening.
“That really made me look back at how I do my job and was like ‘Yo, I need to be looking at this in a very similar way.’”
Foxworth agreed. He said that it isn’t hard to believe that Chris Canty wants to be great on TV and radio. It is easy to see when he is making an effort to get better.
“He works at it and he doesn’t rely on just one move,” Foxworth said. “Using the basketball analogy, he’s adding new stuff to his game.”
Chris Canty clearly has fans in Bristol. ESPN keeps finding ways to use him across multiple platforms. In addition to his daily ESPN Radio show with Chris Carlin, he also makes regular appearances on Get Up with Mike Greenberg.
Sports Online
Dave Portnoy Drops Appeal Of Lawsuit Against Business Insider
“In dropping the suit, both Portnoy and Insider have agreed to pay their own legal fees according to Awful Announcing.”

Published
2 days agoon
February 3, 2023By
BSM Staff
Dave Portnoy is done with his legal fight against Insider. He filed an appeal after a judge dismissed his initial defamation suit in November. That appeal has been dropped.
Nich Carlson, the Global Editor-in-Chief of Insider, took to Twitter Friday to announce that the legal standoff had come to an end. He also notes that Insider is not surprised by the decision. The company stands by the reporting in the initial story, in which multiple women alleged that sexual encounters with Portnoy turned “violent and humiliating”. It was one of two stories the site published featuring these kinds of accusations against Portnoy.
Both sides will move on. In dropping the suit, both Portnoy and Insider have agreed to pay their own legal fees according to Awful Announcing.
In November, a Massachusetts judge ruled that Portnoy would have to prove that Insider acted with “actual malice” in publishing the stories. That was going to be a high bar considering that Dave Portnoy is a public figure.
Neither he nor his legal team have publicly commented about the status of the lawsuit.
Sports Online
Nick Wright: Majority of Media Got Tom Brady Retirement Story Wrong
“I don’t think people understand that these are not easy decisions.”

Published
2 days agoon
February 3, 2023By
BSM Staff
The news of the retirement of Tom Brady wasn’t the most shocking development, but FS1 host Nick Wright believes the way some of media coverage around Brady evolved wasn’t handled correctly.
During his What’s Wright? with Nick Wright podcast, Wright argued that those who have been given tremendous talents are put in different situations than those who weren’t, stopping just short of saying Brady had a duty to continue to perform his craft. He later added that those joking about Brady’s marriage failing for an extra season in the league weren’t viewing the entire picture, and that the divorce wasn’t something worth joking about.
“I see a lot of stuff people are saying about Brady, and I think it’s bullshit,” Wright said. “‘Oh, you sacrificed your marriage to 8-9’. And I don’t think people understand that these are not easy decisions. These are not easy things, and people know we know we are at times putting yourself first, in a selfish way that you’re not supposed to as a parent.”
The First Things First host then said the situation is similar to one he experienced as a child, but grew to realize there were bigger things than simply being a parent.
“It’s what I learned from my own dad. My own dad — who I have massive admiration for — absolutely put me and my sister — at times — on the backburner to negotatioting the best bargain possible for the Kansas City Firefighters. His legacy — he’s a great dad, who I adore — (but) his life’s legacy is not the things he did for me and my sister, his real legacy is the things he did for those firefighters and their families. You have those push and pull things and you make decisions and you deal with the fallout of it. It’s really sad that he and Gisele didn’t make it.”
I think the majority of the media has gotten the Tom Brady retirement story wrong. I greatly empathize with what he was going through, and I got quite emotional when discussing my own similar family struggles. We discuss it here. pic.twitter.com/Mx5vJIga9K
— nick wright (@getnickwright) February 3, 2023