Seven Arizona State University hockey players have formally asked university president Michael Crow to place the team’s coaching staff on administrative leave. The players want an outside investigation into an Aug. 20 preseason workout that left defender Matthew Mayich on life support with no chance of recovery.
An Anonymous 26-Page Letter Disputes University Findings
Sent through attorney Tim Casey to protect the players from retaliation, the 26-page document challenges several conclusions drawn by ASU’s internal review of the conditioning session. The players state that head coach Greg Powers downplayed the severity of Mayich’s condition after he collapsed from exertional heat stroke following drills led by ex-Green Beret Tim Ziesel.
According to The Athletic, Powers initially told teammates that Mayich only needed an intravenous line after suffering “just a little head stroke.” Family attorney Rob Carey noted that Mayich, who transferred to ASU from Clarkson University, had no preexisting medical conditions.
Disputed Timeline of Hydration and Medical Care
The players’ letter pushes back on the internal review’s claim that the team received a water break 20 minutes into the workout. Instead, the team states the break occurred 35 to 45 minutes into the roughly 75-minute session and lasted mere seconds. Only the first finishers of a bear crawl drill—about eight players—secured water.
“Matthew showed signs of distress earlier, in the bear crawl and the buddy carry, well before the medicine ball task during which he collapsed,” the players wrote. The letter alleges that Mayich was left in direct sun before being moved to shade, and points out that no cold water immersion tub or ice chest was present on the field, violating university policy.
Team Reactions Following the Ambulance Transport
As an ambulance transported Mayich from the field, Powers allegedly told the remaining players that they were “closer to making the Frozen Four because of the workout and Matthew having pushed himself to the maximum.” The following day, Powers informed the team that Mayich would be fine, and the practice schedule resumed.
“From what we could tell, at no point did Coach Powers seem to appreciate the severity of the situation,” the players wrote in the document.
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Demands for Protections and External Oversight
The players are asking the university to provide written guarantees protecting them from losing scholarships, playing time, or roster spots for participating in an independent inquiry. “We should not have to choose between telling the truth about August 20 and keeping what we have worked our whole lives for,” the players wrote.
“The athletic department, the compliance office and the administration should have produced this report. Instead, the players did,” Carey told ESPN. “Much of what the players describe is new to us, and it is far worse than we knew.”
Anonymous players demand administrative leave after heat stroke collapse
What caused Matthew Mayich to collapse?
Mayich suffered exertional heat stroke during an Aug. 20 preseason workout led by Tim Ziesel, which resulted in a lack of oxygen to his brain.
Who authored the 26-page letter to ASU President Michael Crow?
The letter was written anonymously by seven current ASU hockey players and submitted to the university president through attorney Tim Casey.
What are the players demanding from the university?
The players are asking for the coaching staff to be placed on administrative leave, an outside investigation into the workout, and written guarantees protecting participating players from retaliation.
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