Wife of Grant Wahl shares letters of condolence from President Biden and Vice President Harris

Doctor Celine Gounder, the wife of late American soccer journalist Grant Wahl, shared two letters she received from the President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

It has been over a month since Wahl passed away while covering the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar – with the journalist collapsing during extra time of the quarterfinal match between Argentina and Holland.

President Biden’s letter reflected the personal tragedy he experienced when he lost his first wife Neilia Hunter Biden 

The wife of American sports journalist Grant Wahl received letters from the White House

‘I know what it means to lose a spouse – your rock, your inspiration, your everything. I hope you find comfort in knowing that the love you had for Grant and the love he had for you will endure. He is with you always.

‘Grant will forever be remembered as a journalist who was bold enough to hold a mirror up to the sports industry so his readers could see the good, the bad, and the true. 

‘He sought the truth the best he could and always stood up for what was right. He treated people with decency, dignity, and respect. 

‘He took care of everyone and left no one behind. And he welcomed everyone to his dinner table. Grant was a good man with a great heart, and I know that his memory will live on through you, all the lives he touched, and all the goodness he brought to the world.

‘Celine, it may take many seasons, but I promise you the day will come when the memory of Grant will bring a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eye. My prayer for you is that this day comes sooner rather than later.’

President Biden wrote, ‘I promise you, the day will come when the memory of Grant will bring a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eye’ 

Biden met his first wife Neilia Hunter while both were in college on spring break in the Bahamas. Neilia was born in the village of Skaneateles, New York – located some 30 minutes southwest of the city of Syracuse.

She had graduated with a degree from Syracuse University – where Biden had recently moved to study at the SU College of Law – and was a teacher with the Syracuse City School District.

After Joe was elected Senator of Delaware in December of 1972, Neilia and the Bidens’ youngest daughter Naomi were killed in a car accident. The wreck also left the Biden’s two sons Beau and Hunter injured and in the hospital – where they both recovered.

President Biden also has lost a spouse, with his first wife Neilia dying in a car crash in 1972

Vice President Kamala Harris also sent Dr. Gounder a letter reflecting on Grant’s ‘profound and unique contribution to soccer journalism and the sports world.’ 

‘The outpouring of grief and sympathy these past days, both from across our country and around the world, demonstrates what you knew:  Grant was incredible.  

‘I am particularly grateful that he used his platform to uplift the stories of those who are too often left out and left behind.

‘Grant’s joyous spirit and compassionate heart were gifts to all those whose lives he touched. His legacy will live on through you and the countless individuals he inspired.’

Vice President Kamala Harris also penned a letter to Dr. Celine Gounder after Wahl’s passing

Wahl – an accomplished sports journalist of over 25 years – was in Qatar covering his his eighth men’s World Cup and his twelfth World Cup overall.

During the match, Wahl suddenly collapsed in his seat in the press box of the Lusail Iconic Stadium in Qatar.

Paramedics on the scene treated him for about half an hour before he was transported to Hamad General Hospital in Doha, where he was pronounced dead on December 10.

An autopsy by the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office revealed the cause of death to be a ruptured aortic aneurysm with hemopericardium, Gounder wrote in a blog post.

Gounder and Wahl met while they were both students attending Princeton University

Earlier that week, Wahl had visited a medical clinic, complaining of chest pains He was given cough syrup and antibiotics with the belief he was suffering from bronchitis. 

Gounder, a leading epidemiologist and a professor at the Grossman School of Medicine at New York University dispelled claims that Wahl’s death had any suspicious motives or was related in any way to the coronavirus.  

‘No amount of CPR or shocks would have saved him. His death was unrelated to COVID. His death was unrelated to vaccination status. There was nothing nefarious about his death,’ she wrote.

In the immediate aftermath of the news of Wahl’s death, his brother Eric said Grant had received death threats after he was detained for wearing a shirt supporting the LGBTQ+ community to a match. Eric said he believed Grant was killed, a statement which he later retracted.

Gounder and Wahl met while they were both students at Princeton University. They married in 2001.