Seven players from the Arizona State University hockey team are urging the university president to place the coaching staff on administrative leave and to allow external investigators to look into a workout incident that left teammate Matthew Mayich on life support, without any hope of recovery.
The letter, which spans 26 pages and has been shared with various media outlets, was sent to President Michael Crow and contests multiple conclusions from ASU’s internal review of the August 20 workout. The players claim that head coach Greg Powers minimized the seriousness of Mayich’s situation.
According to the letter, Mayich lacked proper hydration during the workout and did not receive sufficient medical attention after collapsing.
Furthermore, the letter alleges that Powers initially downplayed Mayich’s condition, reportedly telling players that Mayich needed merely an IV after suffering from “just a little head stroke,” as reported by a media outlet.
Some players chose to send the letter anonymously through attorney Tim Casey because they were worried about potential retaliation from Powers and the coaching staff. They noted that other teammates also wanted to express their concerns but were afraid of facing backlash.
One of the players stated, “We should not have to choose between telling the truth about August 20 and keeping what we have worked our whole lives for.”
Casey mentioned separately, “These guys witnessed a friend and teammate go down, and now he’s in a vegetative state with no chance of recovery. They want the truth to come out. They want to ensure this never happens again.”
Mayich collapsed following a preseason workout led by Tim Ziesel, a former Green Beret, and experienced exertional heat stroke, which deprived his brain of oxygen, according to his family’s attorney.
Having recently transferred from Clarkson University, Mayich had no prior medical issues.
An internal review acknowledged that the coaching staff did not adequately assess the training plan for the workout but failed to pinpoint anyone at fault or suggest measures for accountability.
In the letter, players challenged several assertions from the university’s internal review, such as that there was a water break about 20 minutes into the workout. They claimed the water break occurred 35 to 45 minutes in, during the roughly 75-minute session, and that they had only seconds to hydrate.
They also noted that only the first group to finish a bear crawl drill received water during the break, which included around eight players.
“Matthew was showing signs of distress earlier, both during the bear crawl and buddy carry tasks, long before he collapsed during the medicine ball exercise. Before that final event, he was struggling to stand and relying on a teammate right in front of Ziesel, the coaches, and the trainer,” players wrote. “No one at ASU properly monitored him during the workout, and no one intervened.”
The letter asserts that Mayich spent several minutes in direct sunlight before being moved to a shaded area and that there were no cold water immersion tubs or ice chests available, violating university policy.
Reportedly, when the ambulance took Mayich away, Powers told the players that they were “closer to making the Frozen Four because of the workout and Matthew having pushed himself to the maximum.”
The next day, he reassured the team that Mayich would be fine, and they conducted practice as usual.
“From our perspective, Coach Powers never seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation,” the players expressed.
They also countered ASU’s internal review of Mayich’s acclimation process, stating he participated in workouts the previous week that featured about 15 minutes of outdoor activity, with breaks for water and rest in climate-controlled rooms.
Rob Carey, the attorney for Mayich’s family, remarked, “The athletic department, compliance office, and administration should have produced this report. Instead, the players did. Much of what the players describe is new to us and significantly worse than what we previously knew.”
In their communication, the players have requested the university to provide written assurance that they will not lose scholarships, playtime, or roster spots as a result of participating in any investigation, which they have called for to be carried out by an outside agency.
