Arizona State Faces Criticism Over Report on Hockey Player's Coma

Arizona State University has issued its preliminary report concerning the hospitalization of Sun Devils hockey player Matthew Mayich, who fell into a coma following an intense military-style workout. The report does not assign blame to any specific party for the incident.

University police have initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mayich's collapse. School officials also launched their own probe, led by senior vice president James Rund. However, preliminary findings have drawn criticism from Mayich family lawyer Rob Carey, who argues the report lacks accountability and focuses on future policy recommendations rather than addressing the immediate failure to follow existing protocols.

"This report, it's more advocacy than fact-finding," Carey stated, expressing dismay that the university's proposed solution is to form an advisory panel for outdoor training policies. "The problem is not that ASU lacked policies. The problem is, no one followed them. They literally violated every policy they have, and their conclusion is, 'Let's call for a blue-ribbon panel to tell us about policies?' Mind-boggling. We're a month later, and ASU's report holds no one accountable."

Mayich, an Ontario native drafted by the St. Louis Blues in 2023, suffered exertional heat stroke, leading to a lack of oxygen to his brain. His lawyer has attributed the severe condition to military-style workouts organized by a former U.S. special forces service member, identified as Tim Ziesel.

According to the review, the team's coaching staff requested permission for Ziesel to speak with players but did not submit his planned training activities for review by strength and conditioning coaches. Ziesel, who is not a university employee, had no contract for the three-day team-building exercise and had left the campus before Mayich collapsed. He has declined to comment on the workout, stating he was unaware of the full situation.

The workout reportedly involved strenuous exercises such as sprints, planks, push-ups, and bear crawls, with an emphasis on immediate compliance with instructions. Players who failed to meet these demands or lagged behind were allegedly subjected to additional sprints or exercises and were discouraged from complaining.

The timeline indicates that the final activity was a medicine ball run, which Ziesel reportedly left before its completion. Mayich, like other participants, had passed a physical examination clearing him for team workouts.

Sun Devils coach Greg Powers, who had previously described his team as "too soft" in May, is scheduled to address the incident in a virtual news conference. According to reports, Powers was introduced to Ziesel through an Arizona State hockey supporter, leading to the team-building exercises.

Powers reportedly instructed players a day prior to the workout to "hydrate and eat well" for the "team building exercise with physical activity built in." While the timeline notes Powers instructed Ziesel to allow a water break 20 minutes into the workout, it remains unclear if all players benefited from it, as sources indicated those who were late completing exercises faced additional reps.

During the workout, Mayich reportedly appeared disoriented and fell while carrying a medicine ball. Tempe Fire Medical Rescue was summoned shortly after the session concluded due to a "serious heat emergency," with a trainer applying iced towels and cool water.

Carey has expressed skepticism about the university's investigation and has called for the case to be transferred to the Phoenix Police Department. "I have very little confidence that ASU is trying to get to the truth here," Carey told The Athletic. "If they were, they'd be talking about who made the mistakes here and why the mistakes were made and what's going to be done to correct that or prevent that in the future."