Arizona State hockey family and teammates demand coaches be placed on leave after player collapses in heat
The parents of Matthew Mayich and seven teammates have asked Arizona State University to put the coaches who oversaw a summer workout on administrative leave while an independent investigation is conducted.
Arizona State University hockey player Matthew Mayich, 21, collapsed during an outdoor workout on Aug. 20 and remains hospitalized with severe external heatstroke, according to his family’s attorney. His parents, John and Christina Mayich, wrote to university president Michael Crow, via their lawyer, requesting that the coaches who supervised the session be placed on leave pending an independent investigation.
Seven teammates also sent a letter to Crow, alleging that the university’s internal report understated the temperature and humidity, mischaracterized the length of the workout, and failed to note that players received no water during a break. The players said the session deviated from university policy, that extra exercise was used as punishment, and that emergency cooling equipment was absent. They contend the Army veteran who led the exercises left before the final drill, leaving supervision to the coaches and athletic trainer.
The university’s September 21 report states that an athletic trainer assessed Mayich, applied iced towels and cool water, called 911, and moved him to shade. The report lists ambient temperatures between 86 and 89 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity between 46% and 51% during the workout.
State legislators Matt Gress and Hildy Angius have joined the calls for an independent probe, urging the Arizona Board of Regents to retain an outside investigator to determine whether university rules were followed and who was responsible for athlete safety.
Mayich, a recent draftee of the St. Louis Blues, is being treated at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. His family’s lawyer said he is incapacitated with little chance of recovery. Head coach Greg Powers declined to answer specific questions about the incident when asked by the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.
"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.
"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," Powers said.