Seven Arizona State hockey players are asking the university to put their coaches on leave and bring in outside investigators after teammate Matthew Mayich collapsed during an outdoor workout and was left on life support.
In a 26-page letter sent Monday to ASU President Michael Crow, the players challenged the university’s account of the Aug. 20 workout. They said Mayich showed signs of distress before he collapsed, disputed when players were given water, and questioned the medical response. They also accused head coach Greg Powers of downplaying Mayich’s condition afterward.
Mayich, a defenseman who transferred from Clarkson University, collapsed during a team event at Sun Angel Stadium in Tempe. His family’s attorney, Rob Carey, has said Mayich suffered exertional heat stroke that deprived his brain of oxygen and has no chance of recovery. He remains hospitalized.
ASU said in its initial review that the workout ran from about 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and included running, calisthenics and bodyweight exercises. All three hockey coaches, the team’s athletic trainer, and outside consultant Tim Ziesel were present. The school said the coaching staff had received permission for Ziesel to speak to the team but had not submitted a plan for his training activities to ASU’s strength and conditioning coaches for review.
The school’s report said players had a water break about 20 minutes into the event. The seven players gave a different account in their letter: They said the break came 35 to 45 minutes into the workout, lasted only seconds, and gave water to roughly eight players who finished a bear crawl drill first.
The players also said Mayich was visibly struggling before the final exercise, a run involving a medicine ball.
“Matthew showed signs of distress earlier, in the bear crawl and the buddy carry, well before the medicine ball task during which he collapsed,” they wrote. They said he was leaning on a teammate while instructions for the last event were being given.
“No one at ASU properly monitored him during the workout, and no one intervened,” the players wrote.
Powers had declined to discuss the workout publicly before the players sent their letter. During a Wednesday conference media event, he said, “Respectfully, I decline to answer any questions regarding Aug. 20.”
Asked whether he bore responsibility for the workout, Powers replied, “I don’t run workouts. Our strength and conditioning coach does.”
Attorney Tim Casey sent the letter on the players’ behalf without naming them publicly. The players said they feared retaliation from the coaching staff and asked ASU to guarantee in writing that speaking to investigators would not cost them scholarships, roster spots or playing time.
“We should not have to choose between telling the truth about August 20 and keeping what we have worked our whole lives for,” they wrote.
Casey told ESPN that the players want a full account of what happened to their teammate.
“These guys saw a friend and teammate go down,” he said. “They want the truth to come out. They want to make sure this never happens again.”
The players’ letter prompted calls for a review outside the university.