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Conspiracy theorists hounded Grant Wahl’s family when he died. Now they’re back : NPR


Grant Wahl’s death at the Qatar World Cup set off conspiracy theories that persisted long after they were disproved.

Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP via Getty Images


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Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP via Getty Images


Grant Wahl’s death at the Qatar World Cup set off conspiracy theories that persisted long after they were disproved.

Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP via Getty Images

On December 9, epidemiologist and infectious disease doctor Céline Gounder’s phone began to explode with notifications, all relaying the same message.

Her husband of 21 years, football journalist Grant Wahl, collapsed halfway around the world while covering the World Cup in Qatar. An hour later, Dr. Gounder learned that Wahl was dead.

As soon as news of Wahl’s death spread, rumors of his death also spread. One theory is that the COVID vaccine is responsible. It was not, and an autopsy later revealed that Wahl died of an aortic aneurysm.

Dr. Gounder has interviewed and shared widely the results of her husband’s autopsy, but rumors and conspiracies persist. And after Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest at the scene, anti-vax conspiracy theorists came back strong.

Dr. Gounder spoke to All things Considered Host Juana Summers to share her experiences dealing with a tragedy and misinformation, and has also acted as a prominent health voice during the pandemic.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity

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About why she spoke up

I was really hoping that when I first put out a written statement, that I did a number of interviews on various media platforms, that it would really put an end to these theories. this conspiracy. That by giving information, those who are asking for an explanation will have their explanation, and then I can breathe a sigh of relief and grieve in privacy. And then when Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest occurred during the game on the field, that unfortunately fueled a lot of these conspiracy theories all over again.

I began to receive messages again, as I did very early on, from anti-vax conspiracy theorists who not only blamed my husband’s death but also Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest, as well as recent deaths of otherwise healthy young people from COVID vaccines. And at that point, I felt that I had to confront these conspiracy theories.

When seeing her husband’s death is used for misinformation

I feel it is exploitative to use this terrible tragedy on me and my family, to exploit it for their own ends. Misinformation is a business model – make no mistake about it. And these are people trying to make money, people trying to get social followers or subscribers on Substack or some kind of social status or power. And that really just hurt not only me and my family, but also other people who have been victims of this kind of behavior.

I think people, especially family and close friends, have really questioned. I asked a question. It was really important to me to know what the cause of death was. And the autopsy gave me at least a partial sense of closure, of having the answers. But when people call for an investigation, I think they really have to step back and ask themselves, what are they talking about when they say investigation?

Dr. Gounder wants her husband to be remembered as a powerful writer who used her journalism career to fight for social justice.

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Image of Clive Brunskill/Getty


Dr. Gounder wants her husband to be remembered as a powerful writer who used her journalism career to fight for social justice.

Image of Clive Brunskill/Getty

Autopsied by medical examiners and forensic scientists, it is the investigation of this type of death. And I think what some of these people really mean when they say they want to investigate, they want the criminal justice system to turn its back on unfortunate victims like me and my family because they don’t like it. what we stand for — in my case, a public health message. And they really want to punish us for what we stand for.

One of the particularly troubling emails she received about karma

In fact, it’s only one out of a few hundred voicemail messages and other types of harassing messages. But this particular email blamed me for killing my husband because he got the COVID vaccine, and said this was karma, that I was being punished for doing this.

I believe in karma. I believe in the idea that how we behave, what we put out into the world, impacts our experience of the world. And I think if you look at the love and support given to my husband and our family after he passed away, I think that shows evidence of karma. And he is actually very ethical, believing in finding the truth in his reporting but also believing in social justice issues and fighting for human rights in his journalism. And I think that’s why so many people got in touch after that – because of the way he lived his life.

About how she wants Grant to be remembered

My husband is a great writer. His phrase in turn is lyrical. He is also a feminist. And when I say feminism, it’s not just about equality for women, but really on a large scale. And he tried to use sports journalism as an interpretation of culture, politics, and the fight for social justice.

This interview has been adapted for the web by Manuela Lopez Restrepo.

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