The shocking death of soccer writer Grant Wahl has prompted an outpouring of tributes. The 48-year-old Wahl died on Friday under murky circumstances while covering the World Cup in Qatar.
Today, Fox Sports, where he worked as a commentator, saluted him in its pregame coverage of the World Cup before the start of a quarterfinal match between Portugal and Morocco. A clearly shaken Rob Stone welcomed viewers into Fox Sports’ studio on location in Doha, Qatar (see tribute below).
Wahl had created some controversy during his Qatar coverage. He wore a rainbow shirt to the USA-Wales match, but was denied entry to the stadium by the security in the conservative country.
On Friday in Philadelphia, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James talked about Wahl, saying he was “very fond of Grant.” Wahl wrote a Sports Illustrated cover story on high school student James, the first major coverage of the rising star.
“I’ve always kind of watched from a distance even when I moved up in ranks and became a professional, and he went to a different sport,” said James, speaking at a postgame press conference. “Any time his name would come up I’ll always think back to me as a teenager and having Grant in our building … It’s a tragic loss.”