Grant Wahl's Wife Pens Scathing Op-Ed Over Misinformation on Husband's Cause of Death

Dr. Céline Gounder, the wife of late sports journalist Grant Wahl, is opening up about her husband's death last month at the World Cup in Qatar — specifically, her frustrations over the disinformation that spread.

Gounder — whose expertise is in medicine, infectious disease and epidemiology — penned an op-ed for the New York Times on Sunday about rumors that spread in the wake of the tragedy and the "vile" harassment she's faced from internet users following his death.

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celine gounder/twitter Grant Wahl and Céline Gounder

"I didn't respond to disinformation or harassment on Substack or on social media," Gounder wrote. "I didn't reply to the email that read: 'Now you understand that you killed your poor husband. Karma is a b----.' I've received these kinds of messages before, including rape and death threats, over the course of the pandemic, but receiving them about Grant was vile, especially as waves of anguish threatened to consume me."

"But when these disinformation opportunists recently used the same playbook to blame Damar Hamlin's in-game cardiac arrest on Covid vaccines, the dam broke," she continued. "I knew I had to write this essay."

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Grant Wahl/instagram

Gounder — who was previously named one of PEOPLE's 25 Women Changing the World in 2017 — began her essay by detailing how she learned about her husband's condition from a longtime friend in ESPN's Gabriele Marcotti, who explained that colleagues saw Wahl collapse during the Argentina-Netherlands match on Dec. 9.

"As soon as the news became public, rumors and disinformation began to spread," she wrote. "Amid seemingly inexplicable tragedy, there's an understandable reflex to grasp onto narratives that could explain how something so shocking could occur. Even those of us who love Grant did so in our grief. But soon strangers began blaming Grant's death on Covid-19 vaccines, a playbook I know all too well and a move I refuse to let stand."

As Gounder explained, she knew "disinformation purveyors" would eventually blame her husband's death on the Covid-19 vaccine, so she overcame "bureaucratic and logistical barriers" to get her husband's autopsy done. When she got the preliminary results from the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner that his aorta had ruptured, she put out a written statement and booked interviews with the Times, CBS, NPR, and beyond to get the truth out. Days after his death, Gounder wrote on Wahl's Substack that her husband died of the "slowly growing, undetected" aortic aneurysm.

RELATED: Journalist Grant Wahl Said He 'Had a Case of Bronchitis' Before His Death: 'Pressure and Discomfort'

In the essay, the medical expert called out the "disinformation playbook" of "fake experts, logical fallacies, impossible expectations," and "cherry-picked data and conspiracy theories," adding that "not a single qualified medical or public health expert has supported the claim that my husband died from Covid vaccination."

Gounder also referenced Damar Hamlin, the Buffalo Bills player who had to be resuscitated on the field last Monday. He was transferred to the hospital following a cardiac arrest. She wrote that when tragedies like his are used for "personal gain" by those peddling disinformation, "they re-traumatize families, compromising our ability to interpret information and distinguish truth from lies and putting all of us at risk."

"Grant will be remembered for his kindness, openness and generosity," she closed the essay. "His legacy is his commitment to seeking truth through reporting, supporting human rights and fighting for equality."

"I will continue to honor Grant by living by our shared values. I'm channeling my grief into something productive: protecting the public's health against those who would profit from the suffering of others."