Twenty years has absolutely flown by. I remember watching the debut episode of Around the Horn in the bedroom of the house I lived in during my senior year of college. On Tuesday night, ESPN acknowledged the show’s history and influence with a primetime special.
As viewers, we all have our opinions. To some, the show is excellent, one of the standard bearers of debate television. To others, it is something they see but never hear as they sit in the airport bar waiting on their flight to board.
Last week, Tony Reali was at the center of a lovefest – an opus by The Athletic’s Stephen J. Nesbitt that just maybe you could finish in the 20 minutes it takes to play the final two minutes of an NCAA Tournament game. Today, I think it is important to put the panelists in the spotlight and let them share their thoughts and insight on the show. Although, to be fair, plenty of them say nice things about Tony.
Most of them have good things to say about the show. Some of them don’t. I’m including it all to paint a full picture of what the show is and what it is capable of.
These are their words, not mine. Enjoy.
J.A. ADANDE
It just hit me that I’ve spent almost twice as many years of my career doing work because of Around the Horn than I spent getting in position to be on Around the Horn. I’d been writing professionally for eight years — including five at the Los Angeles Times — when ATH started in 2002. That was back when you had to be at one of the five partner newspapers (the LA Times, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Dallas Morning News, the Boston Globe and the Denver Post) to be on the show. The show elevated my profile and there’s no question that without it I would not have been hired by ESPN in 2007 and Northwestern University in 2016.
Expanding the roster and constantly bringing in new and diverse talent has kept the show fresh — and added to the list of people who can thank the show for their current jobs. And the maestro, Tony Reali, has been holding it all together for almost the entire time, along with producer Aaron Solomon behind the scenes.
BOMANI JONES
I did my first episode of Around The Horn in October 2010. The year before, I’d been let go from hosting local radio. I’d just started doing “The Morning Jones,” a radio show on Sirius, where we were building our community largely through Twitter. I managed to tweet my way into Tony Reali’s orbit, which led to the most shocking e-mail of my career — one from Aaron Solomon, asking me to appear on Around The Horn. Seeing how I’d been let go from ESPN in 2007, there was no way I thought this would ever happen. In fact, much of my content was created to be an alternative to ESPN because my time there was done. Now, I had the chance to appear on a bedrock of their programming.
That day changed my life and career. It affirmed my confidence in what I had been doing, and encouraged me to double down on my approach, even while surrounded by people representative of the older guard. It made me both visible and credible, as no one could get on that show without being eminently respected in sports journalism. But it was also a lot of fun. It was fun to get to know all those people I’d only read and seen on TV. It was a treat to be on conference calls and realize those Bob Ryan outbursts happen in real life, too. It made me better as a presenter, learning just how much one can say in limited time.
And maybe the biggest thing was, for the first time in my career, I was really part of a team, even if I’ve still never met most of those teammates in person. Being a panelist on Around The Horn remains one of my greatest privileges in this business, and each of those 20 years the staff has earned has been well-deserved.
MINA KIMES
Like a lot of television folks who transitioned from writing to analysis, I got my start on Around the Horn. The show was an opportunity, but also an education–it’s where I learned how to develop and deliver opinions, how to listen to others instead of just waiting for my turn to talk, and how to have fun on camera. I think that sense of fun–and family dynamic–has played a big role in the show’s staying power, but I’d also attribute its success to its willingness to push the envelope on commentary. Don’t be fooled by the consistency of the look and feel of the show; Around the Horn has evolved at a rapid rate over the years, bringing in new voices and tackling topics that you rarely see explored on sports television. That’s a tribute to the creativity and open-mindedness of Tony Reali, but also a number of people behind the scenes, all of whom are the best of the best.
JAY MARIOTTI (From his Substack – used with permission)
No one out there cares about your pedigree or diploma. No one cares if you’re straight or gay. No one cares if you’re male or female. No one cares if you’re young or old. The viewers respond to panelists who alternately make them think, make them mad, make them laugh.
We did that on “Around The Horn” for a long time. That isn’t happening today, and the result is lost relevance.
Praise Reali, a good guy in a tough racket. But also acknowledge Reality.
When 331 million people live in America and fewer than 300,000 are watching the ESPN blowtorch on a given afternoon — and a lot of them are sitting in a bar or dentist’s office with the sound turned down — well, don’t tell me the show is better. The show is just sort of there, bro.
WOODY PAIGE
Being asked to do Around The Horn was a career- and life-changing experience. I actually turned it down twice. Shortly after starting the show I went into Patriots locker room for post-game interviews and the offensive linemen started yelling at me to come talk to them. I was amazed. As a journalist nobody ever wanted to talk to me. I realized this was a new world.
BILL PLASCHKE
For 20 years, Around the Horn has made me laugh and cry and most of all, think. My participation on the show has broadened my horizons by challenging me to think of the sports world in ways that impact all members of society, not only sports fans. It’s a silly game show that is really a sophisticated debate show. It’s a sports show that is really a life show.
BOB RYAN
“Around The Horn” was originally billed as “A show of competitive banter.” That it was in its debut in November of 2002, and so it remains in November of 2022.
I love matching wits with these clever panelists. And I believe anyone watching the show will invariably leave it much better informed than when he or she began viewing that afternoon.
SARAH SPAIN
What does Around The Horn mean to me? Quite simply, it’s my favorite job I’ve ever had. Not just because I love the format — part sports talk, part trash talk — but because the host, staff and panelists are like a giant (occasionally dysfunctional but more often than not loving) family. No matter what mood I’m in when I arrive, I am, without fail, all smiles when I leave. (Even when I lose!)
The show has lasted for decades because the scoring system is a compelling and entertaining mystery, the panelists all offer a different style and brand of takery, it’s a refreshing blend of informed discussion, authentic disagreement and good-hearted digs, and, most importantly, because of the star of the show, Stat Boy-turned Man In Black, Tony Reali. Reali’s sense of humor, heart, care for each panelist and ability to bring out the best in them is like a legendary coach calling up the right plays at the right time. May he lead us in points and mutes for another 20 years.
College Football fans are used to being able to find their team on SiriusXM each Saturday. The postseason will be no exception. The satellite radio giant has announced that it will carry coverage of all 45 bowl games.
The slate is, of course, headlined by the three games that will determine the sport’s national champion. The Peach Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl will air on December 31. SiriusXM will carry play-by-play of the College Football National Championship Game, which will matchup the winners of those two games, on January 9.
In addition to the FBS postseason, the satcaster will carry other college football. Westwood One’s coverage of the FCS National Championship Game will air on January 8. The HBCU Pigskin Showdown, an all-star game featuring players from Historically Black schools will air on December 17. A high school all-star game, The All-American Bowl, will air on January 7.
Fans of many of the teams involved in the games will be able to hear their home town calls. For other games, SiriusXM will use broadcasts originating from ESPN Radio, Touchdown Radio, NBC Sports Audio, Bowl Season Radio, or Westwood One.
College football is hitting the big screen again. ESPN and Cinemark have announced plans to put the Peach Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl and the College Football National Championship Game in movie theaters to close out the 2022 season.
It is a new tradition that began last year and won rave reviews from the fans that attended.
“Cinemark is thrilled to once again offer college football fans an opportunity to watch this year’s most anticipated games in our immersive, shared environment, especially given the enthusiasm we saw in our theaters last year,” Wanda Gierhart Fearing, Cinemark’s Chief Marketing and Content Officer, said in a press release. “We are thankful for the collaboration with ESPN and our ability to bring this year’s games to even more cities as we expand participating locations. Our larger-than-life screens and booming surround sound create the ultimate experience for fans to cheer on their team without missing a single heart-pounding play.”
Seventy theaters are set to participate in this year’s promotion. At least one theater in the home state of each of the four teams vying for the national championship will screen the games.
FOX Sports Radio host and former NFL quarterback Brady Quinn traded barbs on Twitter with On3.com founder and CEO Shannon Terry after Quinn retweeted a video from the Late Kick with Josh Pate podcast claimed some of the bigger college programs in the country aren’t giving out NIL deals like the average fan believes.
Some of the biggest programs aren’t offering recruits nearly the NIL ???? you think pic.twitter.com/0FmjYDr9Qd
Quinn agreed with Pate’s opinion that schools aren’t handing out as much money as fans believe, and that going to a program that has a history of developing players into NFL contributors is more important than getting early money to go to a different school. The former Notre Dame standout then called out On3’s NIL evaluations calling them “wild” and “not even in the ballpark”.
On the contrary, I think I have a pretty good grasp. Some of us are right in the middle of it. You’ve got my cell too…
Terry then said his company’s NIL valuation model is based on multiple factors and is over a 12-month projection. He concluded by saying “You will look back in a (year) wishing you had believed the science and numbers — I promise.”
Quinn shot back “I’m not trying to buy On3.com. You don’t have to try and sell me on it. I’m sure you’ll have a nice exit like the last two.” That response is a reference to Terry’s former ventures, Rivals and 247Sports, which he founded and then sold to Yahoo! and CBS, respectively.
Terry called Quinn’s response “unnecessary and not productive” before saying he simply wanted Quinn to “understand the science and actually see the data”.
Quinn concluded by saying nothing he mentioned is personal.
Senior management at The Washington Post has alerted employees to an upcoming round of layoffs.
According to CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy, Post Publisher Fred Ryan from the newspaper told employees that cuts will be made in the coming year, but said “total headcount will not shrink” by the end of 2023.
“The Washington Post is evolving and transforming to put our business in the best position for future growth,” she said in a statement. “We are planning to direct our resources and invest in coverage, products, and people in service of providing high value to our subscribers and new audiences. As a result, a number of positions will be eliminated. We anticipate it will be a single digit percentage of our employee base, and we will finalize those plans over the coming weeks. This will not be a net reduction in Post headcount. Recently, we have made some of the largest investments in The Post’s history and 2023 will be another year of continued investment.”
According to tweets from those in the meeting, Ryan did not accept questions during the town-hall event and left as employees asked questions.
Today at The Washington Post town hall meeting, publisher Fred Ryan walked out, refusing to answer questions after dropping a bomb that there will be targeted layoffs. Proud of my @PostGuild colleagues for standing up and asking them anyway. pic.twitter.com/sfFeN3KHG6
The news comes on the heels of a recent Wall Street Journal article that claims The Post has lost nearly 15% of its digital subscribers since the departure of former President Donald Trump from the White House.
Commentators, engineers, directors, producers, executives and other personnel from around the world in sports media gathered in New York on Tuesday night to celebrate the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame induction class of 2022.
Created by Sports Video Group, the mission of the Hall of Fame is to honor those who have made an indelible impact across the world of sports broadcasting, whether or not they are behind the microphone. In 2007, the museum inducted its first class with some of the honorees including former NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, the founder of NFL Films Ed Sabol and legendary play-by-play announcer Howard Cosell.
Past and present inductees of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame attended Tuesday night’s ceremony held at the New York Hilton Midtown and shared their thoughts on the event with Barrett Sports Media before the proceedings began. Chris Berman, who has worked in different capacities with ESPN since the year of the network’s launch in 1979, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017.
“You look at the names that are in ahead of you and you think, ‘What am I doing on this list? Somebody made a mistake,’” Berman expressed. “Tonight, I will look back at not my name, but the names of the people I, if not idolized, really respected and some after me.”
Berman’s unique on-air delivery and style helped grow his career and ESPN into the sports institution it has become today. By staying true to himself and accepting that not everyone would take a liking towards him, he has been able to appeal and draw a level of respect across key demographics.
While he has been on the network for many years, Troy Aikman is a rookie – hardly so, however, in the world of sports broadcasting. Working alongside Joe Buck throughout his entire sports broadcasting career, which began in the 2001-02 season with Fox Sports, he was on hand to celebrate his partner’s achievement.
“He’s the best to do it,” Aikman told Barrett Sports Media regarding his colleague Joe Buck. “I’ve had a front row seat watching him for the last 21 years. He’s incredible and it’s well-deserved [and] long, probably, overdue based on what he’s been able to accomplish.”
Aikman’s contract with Fox Sports expired following the 2021-22 season – leading him to negotiate with various other networks to bring him in as a football analyst. Once he signed with ESPN, Buck followed him shortly thereafter to continue their partnership on Monday Night Football.
“Once he went, it was kind of a next step for me and fortunately it worked out,” Buck told Barrett Sports Media. “We’re closer now probably than we’ve ever been; our families are close and that’s a big part of a happy work life.”
“The companies are obviously a little bit different, but other than that what we do in the booth is what we’ve always done,” Aikman added. “We have the same people up there. It’s been a pretty smooth transition for him and I.”
Working with Buck and Aikman for the first time is Lisa Salters, who is the longest-tenured sideline reporter in Monday Night Football history. Although their first season together is not yet complete, she feels a connection towards the duo and was excited to be present for Buck to receive this extraordinary pillar of honor and respect in sports media.
“I feel like I’ve been working with him for the last 20 years,” Salters told Barrett Sports Media. “It’s just so cool to think that somebody that you work with is that so highly regarded, which we knew already, but it’s just really cool and I’m happy for him.”
Buck expressed gratitude towards those at Fox Sports; in fact, the company honored him with a full-page advertisement in the event program. For 28 years, he called baseball and football games for the network, including many memorable World Series and Super Bowl finishes. Although the company and primary day of the week on which he calls primetime games differs, the goal of bringing viewers an informative, compelling and entertaining broadcast remains the same.
“It’s just different, philosophically, because when you’re at a network whether it’s CBS or Fox, you can kind of ride the hot team,” he said. “We’ve known our schedule since whenever that comes out… [and it is] broken weird. Some of the games have been kind of ‘Eh,’ but I’ve loved every minute of being [at ESPN].”
Buck grew up around the industry and observed the work ethic, preparation and commentating of longtime St. Louis Cardinals broadcaster – his father and Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame member Jack Buck. Joe attended this ceremony 11 years ago to accept the honor on behalf of his father, who passed away in 2002, and while he admires his father he has tried to craft his own voice in this industry.
“Don’t get into this business trying to sound like anybody else,” Buck said. “I got in trying not to sound like my dad. I think I still kind of sound like my dad in many ways. Forge your own path; do your work and let your personality come out and see what comes of it.”
Buck made it a point to visit his father as he was ailing for seven months in a St. Louis hospital – and while they spoke about broadcasting and sports media at large, the conversations gradually turned towards personal topics, including taking advantage of every day one is alive.
“When we got to his final weeks on this earth, our conversations were not about home run calls; they weren’t about critics; they weren’t about work. They were about our family,” Buck said in his induction speech. “….It was about me living my life because as he said, ‘When you get here laying in this bed, you realize it’s too late. Have fun.’”
Both current and incoming Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame members were on display at the 2022 Induction Ceremony Tuesday. (Photo: Derek Futterman)
Longtime sports broadcaster with ESPN and now voice of Sunday Night Football and primetime Olympics host for NBC Sports Mike Tirico was the event host, celebrating the institution’s 15th year of honoring those across the landscape of sports media. It also happened to be Tirico’s birthday and a night where many professionals he has worked with over throughout his career were being inducted into the Sports Broadcasters Hall of Fame, making the day extra special.
“Personally, it’s a very special night for me,” Tirico said. “I’m proud to call these people not only friends but colleagues…. Week-in, week-out, you know the people in this room… are the stars and the MVPs of television.”
Tirico works directly with Drew Esocoff, longtime director of Sunday Night Football on NBC, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame Tuesday night as well. For many years, Esocoff and executive producer Fred Gaudelli were a tandem that helped lead the show to an unprecedented 11 straight seasons as primetime’s most-watched television program. Gaudelli, along with longtime play-by-play announcer Al Michaels, moved over to work on the inaugural season of Amazon Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football slate of games. As a result, NBC Sports leadership elevated Rob Hyland to the role of coordinating producer and Tirico into the play-by-play chair.
“In 2000, Howard Katz and Dan Ohlmeyer gave me the opportunity of a lifetime,” Esocoff reminisced in his induction speech. “They named me the director of ABC’s Monday Night Football. I would actually be the one to call for a tape to roll and the next words you would hear would be, ‘Are you ready for some football?’. Just getting to work with the Monday Night Football crew [was] amazing, and that year marked the beginning of an amazing run.”
In addition to directing a myriad of primetime football games, Esocoff also sits in the director’s chair for NBC broadcasts of the Triple Crown. He previously worked with ESPN as the director of several NBA Finals matchups and Monday Night Football featuring Michaels, Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf.
Salters had the opportunity to work with Esocoff during her first season doing football sideline reporting in 2005 and was honored to be among the large contingent honoring him at the ceremony. Aside from Esocoff, there were many prominent names in sports media present for the event including CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus, Fox Sports Senior Vice President of Talent and Production Development Jacob Ullman and NBC Sports analyst Cris Collinsworth.
“You’re around sports royalty; sports broadcasting royalty anyway,” she said. “You’re just kind of starstruck – you’re just like, ‘Oh my gosh. There’s such and such. There’s such and such.’”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame on Tuesday night for his leadership in the ongoing advancement of multiplatform league coverage. While he was unable to attend the ceremony in person because of league meetings taking place in Dallas, he submitted a pre-recorded message thanking those who paved the way to effectuate the league’s success.
“My predecessors – Pete Rozelle and Paul Tagliabue – gave the NFL a running head start in this business and impressed on all the importance of ensuring the game was strong and you could never be complacent,” Goodell said. “You always have to pursue innovation and excellence. Exciting, competitive games lead to appointment viewing.”
Manolo Romero, who recently retired as Olympic Broadcast Services chief, was honored with a spot in the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame thanks to his leadership in implementing new technology to present the Olympic Games to a worldwide audience. He expressed his gratitude in a pre-recorded message for the broadcasters that helped advance coverage.
“This award together with American broadcasters who shared with me their experience; their knowledge in the technical and creative fields,” Romero said in his message. “I’m indebted to all of them for their help. I think there are too many to name them here. Some of them are already in the Hall of Fame.”
Camera operator Deena Sheldon has worked in the industry for over four decades and during that time has worked many Super Bowls, Triple Crown races and Olympic Games. As a fixture on both ABC’s Monday Night Football and NBC’s Sunday Night Football, she is grateful for the professional relationships she fostered with Esocoff, Gaudelli, Madden, along with NBC Sports play-by-play announcer Bob Costas.
“My goal was to find the shot that the announcers were talking about in under three seconds or find them something interesting to talk about,” Sheldon said. “I love the sense of team in creating something together in the show behind the show on the headsets.”
Part of Sheldon’s job requires her to memorize, or at the very least quickly identify, the players, coaches and team personnel serving as a visual component in telling the story of the game. Through her work, she looks for patterns and tries to anticipate where the next big play may be located or how to best capture the shot to effectively complement the broadcasters’ evocation of imagery.
“I love what I do – all of it – except for the sleet and the downpours,” she said. “….I just love the process of getting ready and then to be able to react to the game and the intensity of a live event.”
Terry Adams was the vice president of IBC engineering for the Olympic Games at NBC and was honored to be among the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame Class of 2022. He spoke about the importance of education and making sure the progeny of the industry are able to maintain the standard set and subsequently exceed it.
“A new generation of smart and passionate individuals have begun to leave their impact on how we generate the stories that we all tell,” Adams said. “I think the future is in very good hands. SVG has always been a valuable education resource, and many of the people in this room tonight are involved in those efforts. I would challenge anyone who isn’t to make a concerted effort to do so. You may have to look hard but the opportunities are there.”
Darrell Wenhardt currently works as principal consultant at CBT West and has been in the broadcast industry for over five decades. Through his work, he has had major contributions related to design and equipment installation at major facilities hosting events such as the Olympic Games and the World Cup, and is also a critical part of the ongoing development for the new PGA Tour Digital Media Center.
As he received his place in the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, he recognized that he worked with 36 inductees over his career and thanked them for their contributions, adding that something must have rubbed off on him.
“I’m so honored to receive this acknowledgement of my body of work, but mostly I’m humbled,” Wenhardt said. “To be chosen to stand [with] 132 past and current inductees is really quite amazing – and as I mentioned, very humbling.”
Ross Greenburg worked at ABC Sports as a non-staff, freelance employee to begin his sports broadcasting career after graduating from Brown University in 1977. While there, he learned the aspects of effective storytelling but recognized he needed to make a vertical movement in the industry. As a result, he wrote a letter to HBO resulting in his landing a job in the production department where he would help create, produce and oversee shows including Sports of the 20th Century and Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.
Over the years, he worked hard to earn the role of president of HBO Sports – during which he launched On the Record with Bob Costas and, for his work, accumulated 54 Sports Emmy Awards. Following his departure from HBO in the summer of 2011, he has worked as the president of Ross Greenburg Productions, a venture that has helped create television programming for networks including ESPN, Fox, NBC and Showtime.
“We are all incredibly lucky to be in the form of entertainment that we all love with friendships and people who are so incredibly talented,” Greenburg said during his induction speech. “The people being honored tonight and many of the people in this room have given the American and worldwide audiences many, many memories of moments in sports history that will last a lifetime.”
Rounding out the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame Class of 2022 is football studio analyst Terry Bradshaw who has spent nearly four decades on television. Prior to joining CBS Sports as a live game analyst in 1984, Bradshaw had a storied career in professional football as the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
After working in the broadcast booth for several years, he became a studio analyst for The NFL Today and stood out among others as a captivating personality enamored with the game of football. Bradshaw’s liveliness and fervor for the game of football resulted in his being recruited by both NBC and Fox to join their coverage of the National Football League. Since 1994, he has been with Fox Sports on Fox NFL Sunday, working alongside analysts Michael Strahan, Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson, along with reporter Jay Glazer and studio host Curt Menefee.
“When I got the word, I was shocked because I had no idea of what I had done to deserve to be in the Sports Broadcasters Hall of Fame,” Bradshaw told Barrett Sports Media. “I have yet to get an answer and I don’t think I’m going to get one tonight. I’m absolutely honored.”
Working in studio coverage, Bradshaw is grateful for all of the memories he has crafted with his colleagues over the years, several which he shared during his induction speech at Tuesday night’s ceremony. He never thought he would begin to work in broadcasting and was compelled to do so when he received a note from Brent Musburger, who traveled to his home in Grand Cayman, La. in a limousine, to hand Bradshaw a note with a phone number to call.
Five days later, he looked at the note as he was clearing out his pockets to do laundry and is thankful he decided to call the number Musburger had given him – as it led to his first contract in broadcasting, starting what has turned out to be an illustrious career influencing football coverage forever.
“I live each day to its fullest. I have more fun than anybody, and I truly am so honored tonight to be inducted into this Class of 2022. This is something; I have no idea why I’m in it – but I will take it and use it to my best benefit to make more money,” Bradshaw quipped to close out his speech.
Terry Adams, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Buck, Drew Esocoff, Roger Goodell, Ross Greenburg, Manolo Romero, Deena Sheldon, Darrell Wenhardt. They are the nine inductees within the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022 – pioneers at their craft who have made monumental contributions to sports media. Their legacies will live on in sports media history as the professionals of tomorrow aspire to build careers in the industry and continue to keep the craft of storytelling alive.
ESPN Jalen & Jacoby host David Jacoby has announced he is leaving the company after 23 years.
In a tweet, Jacoby said “I’ve learned everything I know there, met my best friends there, met my wife there, and leave with zero regrets.”
He added “I can’t wait to share what’s next”.
It’s time. After 23 years with ESPN, we have mutually decided to move on. I’ve learned everything I know there, met my best friends there, met my wife there, and leave with zero regrets. I can’t wait to share what’s next.
Many immediately guessed Jacoby would move to The Ringer, founded by Bill Simmons. Jacoby worked as the Executive Producer for Grantland under the tutelage of Simmons while the site was under the ESPN umbrella. He currently co-hosts Ringer Food, a Ringer podcast with Juliet Litman.
Since 2011, Jacoby has partnered with Jalen Rose for Jalen & Jacoby, which started as a podcast and grew into a YouTube show that eventually turned into an ESPN Radio show that later aired on ESPN and ESPN2.
Prominent soccer journalist Grant Wahl died Friday after collapsing while covering the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Questions persisted about his death after his brother, Eric, took to social media to claim that Wahl did not die of natural causes. However on Wednesday, Wahl’s wife published a story on his Substack clarifying his manner of death.
“An autopsy was performed by the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office,” Dr. Celine Gounder wrote. “Grant died from the rupture of a slowly growing, undetected ascending aortic aneurysm with hemopericardium. The chest pressure he experienced shortly before his death may have represented the initial symptoms. 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.”
Many had questioned Wahl’s cause of death after he had been an outspoken critic of the event being held in Qatar, which has one of the world’s worst human rights records. An immigrant work force reported in the thousands died while constructing the stadiums used in the country. Qatar also has harsh laws condemning LGBTQ+ members, which saw Wahl be detained from entering a match early in the tournament for wearing a rainbow t-shirt.
In his final post to his Substack, Wahl detailed comments made by Qatari Supreme Committee CEO Nasser Al-Khater acknowledging the deaths of workers building the stadiums. That only fueled speculation that his death was not of natural causes, but Gounder assuaged them in her post.
She also thanked everyone involved in ensuring her husband’s body was returned to the United States.
“Our sincere gratitude to everyone involved in repatriating Grant, in particular the White House, the U.S. Department of State, FIFA, U.S. Soccer and American Airlines,” she wrote.
After purchasing Twitter, Elon Musk has given documentation to journalists Matt Taibi and Bari Weiss which allege the social media platform worked in conjunction with the Biden campaign and the FBI to suppress stories that were viewed as harmful to the campaign. The “Twitter Files”, as they’re known, have been a major talking point for conservative commentators, but 77WABC host Greg Kelly had slight criticism for the way they’ve been released.
During a discussion with Rudy Giuliani, Kelly admitted the Twitter Files have fallen flat due to the outlet used to disseminate the information.
“We all like Elon Musk,” Kelly said. “I’m amazed by him…however, he’s not a gifted presenter, nor should he be. He’s a genius, he runs space programs, and car companies, but he’s not a presenter. The dump of the Twitter Files on Twitter has been a bust. Fantastic information, but they’re putting it on these Twitter threads which are hard to read. They’re cumbersome and it’s just not designed for a mass audience.”
Giuliani added the information would have been better served by a public relations firm, while Kelly said the information is difficult even for him to understand.
“I’m all over this stuff, and I’m having a hard time following it,” he concluded.
During an appearance on The Greg Kelly Show Tuesday, 77WABC host Rudy Giuliani claimed the FBI illegally surveilled him and other media members while it investigated the origins of the laptop owned by Hunter Biden that held alleged videos and emails of improprieties from the now-President’s son.
The former New York mayor claims he had the story of Biden’s laptop in 2019, and alleges he gave the story to Sean Hannity, Mike Pompeo, and then-Attorney General Anthony Barr, but the story wasn’t uncovered until The New York Post began reporting on it in 2020.
Kelly asked Giuliani if the FBI knew he was in possession of the laptop for “many months” before it was reported.
“No doubt about it,” Giuliani said. “They had to have known it, because they were illegally surveilling me.”
Trump’s attorney then claimed he was not alone in being surveilled by the FBI, claiming those he spoke with about the story were also surveiled.
“I’m not the only one. I’m on a list of about 15 people. One of the others is someone I communicated with about this, John Solomon. So John Solomon is on that list…I communicated with Jon about strategies on how to get this out. We knew they would bury it. They had buried everything else we tried to put out, and tried to bury us in the meantime.”
Before alleging he was spied on by the FBI, Giuliani lamented his perceived downfall of journalism standards and ethics because of the lack of reporting on the “FBI cover up”.
“These stories are stories — you’d think — journalists would dream about,” Giuliani said. “‘I’ve got a story the FBI covered up the most relevant piece of criminal information on a Presidential candidate ever, in history, and they covered it up? What a story that is!’ Wow.”
