Parents of hospitalized Arizona State hockey player call for coaches to be placed on leave

The parents of an Arizona State University hockey player who collapsed during a summer team workout and remains hospitalized are calling for coaches involved to be placed on leave.

John and Christina Mayich sent a letter through their lawyer Tuesday, calling on ASU’s president to place coaches who ran the Aug. 20 workout, which was led by an Army veteran, on leave “while an independent investigation gets to the truth.”

Matthew Mayich, 21, collapsed during the outdoor workout just five days into his start with the team, and suffered external heat stroke for which he remains hospitalized and from which he is unlikely to recover, family attorney Rob Carey has said.

The letter came a day after seven players, who their lawyer said were not named for fear of retaliation, sent their own letter Monday to ASU President Michael Crow, disputing several findings in ASU’s initial internal report into the incident. Though the letter did not include past instances of retaliation by the coaching staff, the players said they are afraid of being retaliated against because the coaches “decide our playing time, scholarship levels, and roster status.”

“The players shouldn’t have to worry about retaliation from the people they report to every day,” the Mayiches said Tuesday in their letter. “And there are plenty of former college and pro players in the Valley who could step in and help.”

The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday, but on Sept. 21 it released a report accounting for the actions of coaches and staff that day. The report found an athletic trainer assessed Mayich’s condition, told him to stay down, put iced towels and cool water on him, called 911 and directed student-athletes to help her move him to a shaded area.

In their letter to Crow, the seven players criticized the report. Timothy J. Casey, their lawyer, emailed the letter and said he verified the identities of those behind it.

The players noted Mayich was new to Arizona, having been in the area for only eight days and having been involved in the hockey program for five. Drafted by the St. Louis Blues, Mayich is from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, according to the NHL.

The Aug. 20 workout session took place on the morning of a day that saw a high temperature of 104 degrees in the afternoon and a low of 74 in the early morning, according to National Weather Service data.

The anonymous players said the training that morning was different than described in the school’s report and did not abide by university policy.

In its report, the school said temperatures were between 86 and 89 degrees during the workout, with relative humidity between 51% and 46%. The players’ letter alleges the university’s temperature and humidity figures “understate conditions on the field.”

They said the training sessions lasted longer than the university’s report stated and that Mayich got no water during a break that lasted only seconds, because he was one of several players who didn’t reach the water on time before they were “pushed directly into the next task.”

The players added that “extra exercise was used as punishment” and that the workout continued despite some players displaying signs of distress.

A training plan was not submitted to strength and conditioning coaches, the players said in the letter, and emergency gear, including a tub of water for cooling off, was not present as required.

The players allege that the Army veteran leading the exercises left before the final event and that, “The medicine-ball relays in which Matthew collapsed were run with no one supervising but ASU’s own coaches and athletic trainer.”

Head coach Greg Powers is said by the players to have characterized Mayich’s condition after his collapse as “just a little heat stroke” of the type he’s seen before, according to their letter.

Carey said by email Tuesday night that Mayich was under the care of the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. “He is incapacitated with no chance of recovery,” the lawyer said.

Efforts to reach Powers Tuesday night were unsuccessful. He was asked about Mayich during a video question-and-answer session for news media held by the National Collegiate Hockey Conference last week but refused to answer specific questions about the incident.

“Matthew and his family are very much in our thoughts and our prayers and at the forefront of our minds as we try to prepare for a new season,” he said.

On Monday, Arizona’s House Education Committee Chairman Matt Gress and Senate Education Committee Chairman Hildy Angius echoed the players’ claims in calling on Arizona Board of Regents Chairman Doug Goodyear to retain an independent investigator to probe Mayich’s collapse.

“We need an independent investigation to determine whether ASU followed its own rules, who was responsible for protecting these athletes, and what happened when Matthew Mayich showed signs of distress,” Gress said in a statement. “ASU should not be left to investigate its own conduct and decide whether anyone should be held accountable.”

The incident is being investigated by ASU police. Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, the top state prosecutor for the region, said Tuesday on X that once ASU police completes its investigation, “my office will review this matter at the highest level.”