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

Grant Wahl’s death at the Qatar World Cup sparked conspiracy theories that have lingered long after they have been debunked.

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 sparked conspiracy theories that have lingered long after they have been debunked.

Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP via Getty Images

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

Her husband of 21 years, football journalist Grant Wahl, had 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 about what killed him spread. One theory was that the COVID vaccine was responsible. This was not the case, and an autopsy later showed Wahl had died of an aortic aneurysm.

Dr. Gounder gave interviews and widely shared her husband’s autopsy results, but the rumors and conspiracies persisted. And in the wake of Damar Hamlin’s on-court cardiac arrest, anti-vax conspiracy theorists have returned with Vigor.

Dr. Grounder spoke with All things Considered host Juana Summers to share the experience of dealing with tragedy and misinformation, while also having worked as a leading health voice during the pandemic.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity

Interview Highlights

Why she speaks again

I had really hoped that when I first released a written statement, did several interviews on different media platforms, that it would really put an end to these conspiracy theories. That by spreading the information, people who asked for an explanation would have had their explanation, and that then I could breathe and mourn in complete privacy. And then when Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest happened during the game on the pitch, it unfortunately sparked a lot of those conspiracy theories again.

I began to receive messages again, as I had at first, from anti-vax conspiracy theorists who blamed not only my husband’s death, but also Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest, as well as the death of other healthy young people recently from COVID vaccines. And I felt, at that moment, that I had to take those conspiracy theories head-on.

Seeing her husband’s death used for misinformation

It was so abusive to use this horrible tragedy for 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, trying to gain followers or social media followers on Substack or some kind of social status or power. And that only re-traumatizes not only me and my family, but others who have been victims of this kind of behavior.

I think people, especially family and close friends, were really asking questions. I was asking questions. It was really important for me to know what the cause of death was. And getting the autopsy gave me at least a partial sense of closure, of having an answer. But when people ask for surveys, I think they really have to step back and ask themselves, what are they talking about when they say survey?

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

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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

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

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

An autopsy by a medical examiner and medical examiners is an investigation into this kind of death. And I think what some of these people are really saying when they say they want an investigation, they want the criminal justice system to turn on these unfortunate victims like me and my family because they don’t like this we represent – in my case, a public health message. And they really want to punish us for what we stand for.

A particularly disturbing email she received about karma

There was one of a few hundred, in fact, along with voicemails and other types of harassing messages. But this particular email blamed me for killing my husband because he was vaccinated against COVID, and said it was karma, that I was being punished for doing that.

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 outpouring of love and support for my husband and our family after he died, I think that shows evidence of karma. And he really lived a very moral life, believed in the search for truth in his reporting, but also believed in issues of social justice and fighting for human rights in his journalism. And I think that’s why so many people reached out afterwards — because of the way he lived his life.

On how she would like Grant to be remembered

My husband was an amazing writer. His turn of phrase was lyrical. He was also a feminist. And when I say feminist, not just in terms of equality for women, but really in all areas. And he tried to use sports journalism as a way to explain culture, politics and the struggle for social justice.

This interview was adapted for the web by Manuela Lopez Restrepo.