Matthew Mayich, the 21-year-old Arizona State hockey player who collapsed during an outdoor workout last month, is unlikely to recover, and a preliminary report from Arizona State University now confirms the training session he was in never had an approved plan submitted to the school. This isn’t just a misstep; family attorney Rob Carey said it was exertional heat stroke that reduced the flow of oxygen to Mayich’s brain. How does a young athlete’s life get tragically altered when basic protocols seem to be ignored?
The Grim Details of an Unapproved Workout
The university’s preliminary report, released by senior vice president James Rund, paints a chilling picture. Arizona State’s hockey coaching staff was right there when Mayich went down on August 20. Yet, they never submitted a plan of training activities for review by ASU’s strength and conditioning coaches before this three-day, team-building event. What were they thinking? They asked permission for Timothy Ziesel, a former Green Beret, to speak with the team, but somehow forgot to clear the actual physical training. Temperatures during the 7 a.m. workout at Sun Angel Stadium ranged from a brutal 86 to 89 degrees, with humidity between 51% and 46%.
The workout involved calisthenic circuits and body weight exercises, with athletes getting a water break only about 20 minutes into the activity. Mayich, who had been medically cleared and had participated in three voluntary strength and conditioning workouts before this, collapsed during a “wind-down” run while carrying a 10-pound medicine ball. He stumbled, fell, tried to get up, and fell again. Trainers applied ice towels and poured water, and he was initially responsive, but then quickly deteriorated, prompting a call to 911.
Carey Calls Out a Cover-Up and a “Punishment Workout”
The family’s attorney, Rob Carey, isn’t holding back, and frankly, who can blame him? Carey slammed the university’s response a month later, stating, “A month later, nobody’s been named, nobody’s been suspended, nobody’s been fired for violating the very policies ASU published today, and the university wants to appoint a committee.” He believes a committee won’t uncover the truth about “why grown men with a rulebook in their hands let this happen to a young man at his first real workout in the desert.”
Carey also revealed what the official report glosses over, but what players are apparently saying: “this was a punishment workout. Miss a count, your group runs again. The head coach set it up, stood there and watched it, and didn’t stop it when the signs were there.” That’s a gut punch, isn’t it? The Arizona State police department is investigating, and their report will eventually go to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for independent review.
The university says they will engage a multi-disciplinary panel of experts for recommendations on outdoor athletic activities. But for Matthew Mayich and his family, that’s far too little, far too late. The fight for real answers and accountability is just beginning, and the County Attorney’s office needs to dig deep to find out exactly how this tragedy was allowed to happen.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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