PHOENIX – An attorney from the law firm representing the family of Arizona State hockey player Matthew Mayich said there is “no indication that he’s ever going to improve” and is calling for the university to conduct an independent investigation. 

Mayich, 21, a sophomore defenseman who transferred from New York’s Clarkson University to ASU in April, collapsed during an outdoor workout on Aug. 20. Tempe Fire Medical Rescue was dispatched to Sun Angel Stadium, the school’s track and field facility, around 8:30 a.m., following a report of a heat-related illness.

Mayich remains hospitalized and, according to the firm representing him and his family, displayed symptoms of heat stroke at the scene. His condition hasn’t improved, with the firm sharing that “his brain activity is just not there.”

Cronkite News spoke with Leonard Aragon, who is working closely with the Mayich family’s attorney, Rob Carey. Both are partners at Hagens Berman law firm. 

The hockey team brought in former Green Beret Tim Ziesel to lead the team in a “military-style” workout, Aragon said.

“We want answers,” Aragon said. “We want more information about how this non-employee of the university was able to come out there and run these young men through a workout designed for elite special forces professionals, and why this happened. After that, we want accountability. If it is found that people were negligent, we want accountability by the university.”

The incident took place on the first day of the fall semester, marking the first day the NCAA allows college hockey teams to begin official activities. 

In a statement provided by a university spokesman, ASU confirmed the coaching and training staff were present the morning of Mayich’s collapse.  

“The morning outdoor workout was a team event at which coaches and training staff were present, along with a third party who had previously worked with the ASU hockey team,” ASU spokesman Jerry Gonzalez said. “ASU has institutional guidelines and requirements relating to the engagement of outside entities who interact with ASU student-athletes and sport programs.”

Aragon said the firm has spoken with several Arizona State hockey players who participated in the workout, emphasized the demanding nature of the training, which included exercises such as bear crawls, push-ups and running. 

“We've spoken to several players and they tell us that this was the hardest workout that they've ever experienced,” Aragon said. “That this wasn't a half-hour workout. This wasn't some simple workout that any NCAA athlete could have done. That this was the most grueling workout that they've ever endured.”

The temperature was approximately 88 degrees in the Phoenix metropolitan area at 8:30 a.m. and humidity was recorded at 46%, according to data collected by Phoenix’s National Weather Service office.

“ASU Sun Devil Athletics also has heat-illness guidelines in place; these guidelines are informed by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association,” Gonzalez said. “SDA student-athletes regularly practice and train outside under coach and trainer supervision.”

Aragon said that the workout did not include scheduled water breaks; instead, players were rewarded with water based on performance throughout the training. Cronkite News was unable to independently confirm that information.

“My understanding is that there was water, but it was unavailable unless you met certain requirements at each station,” Aragon said. “So if you finish the station within a period of time, you could get water.

“But if you didn’t, you had to go to the next station, which is exacerbating the problem. It's the people who weren't able to finish who probably need the most water, and they weren't able to get it. And there certainly, as I understand it, were no scheduled water breaks.” 

Mayich did not have any preexisting conditions that the firm is aware of, Aragon said. Additionally, Mayich passed a physical exam before the team-sanctioned event. 

Mayich, whom the St. Louis Blues selected in the sixth round of the 2023 NHL Draft, had only been in Arizona for several days before the workout. The Ontario, Canada, native spent his junior career with the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League before heading to Clarkson University, where he played his freshman year of collegiate hockey.

“The Clarkson University community is holding Matthew Mayich and his loved ones close in our thoughts during this extraordinarily difficult time,” said Laurel Kane, Clarkson’s director of athletics and recreation, in a statement to Cronkite News. “Our hearts are especially with Matthew’s family and those closest to him as they face the unimaginable.

“Matthew made a lasting impact at Clarkson – as a member of our hockey program, a student, a teammate and a friend. He is deeply cared for by so many within the Golden Knight community and beyond. Clarkson is committed to supporting its community members as they process this heartbreaking news.”

In an interview with “The Burns and Gambo Show” on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM on Aug. 28, ASU athletic director Graham Rossini stressed that the school is not conducting an “investigation,” noting instead that it is “reviewing” the matter. 

“This is not an investigation where somebody is suggesting something went wrong,” Rossini said. “We’re just reviewing the facts and understanding the scenario.”

In a second interview with the station Thursday, Rossini called it “a pretty awful situation …  and it’s most awful for the young man and his family. Our focus has been on care for the family and support in all the ways we can provide it and collecting the information. 

“We’ve got a number of units at the university working around the clock to understand what happened, what do we learn from this and how do we implement things moving forward.”

As of Thursday, the university had not shared whether it had placed any staff members on administrative leave while Arizona State’s review of the incident takes place. 

“Really nothing to talk about on that note. … We’re not at that point yet of making a statement on what comes next,” Rossini said. 

Cronkite News observed ASU coach Greg Powers and players walking into Mountain America Community Iceplex on Thursday morning. The team is still practicing ahead of its season opener Oct. 2 at Lindenwood University in Missouri.

At least 22 Division I college football players died between 2000 and 2021 from exertion-related illnesses during workouts or practices, according to a study by the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism and The Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism at the University of Maryland.

In July, a strength and conditioning coach at Bucknell University was charged in the death of a football player who collapsed during training. The player, Calvin “CJ” Dickey Jr., had sickle-cell trait, a medical condition that can increase the risk of serious injury or death following extreme exertion.

Although ASU has said it is conducting a review, Mayich’s attorneys have called for the university to conduct an investigation sourced by an independent entity. 

“I think a truly independent person, firm or entity is what is needed,” Aragon said. 

An independent investigation would provide a deeper look into the circumstances of the training, Aragon said.

“Healthy, young, athletic men do not collapse on the first day of practice after an hour of workout if things are properly monitored, if the workout is appropriate for the weather and if the workout is appropriate for the athletes,” he said. “That's not what happened here.

“They put these kids through a military-style, special forces-type workout in the middle of one of the hottest days when you put the humidity and temperature together this year. These young kids are from cold-weather states. … They weren't acclimated and Arizona heat hits differently.” 

As of Thursday, the Tempe Police Department said no incident report has been filed.

The Arizona State University Police Department, an entity operated by the university, has begun an investigation – one that is separate from the university’s review of the incident.

“ASU Police received a 911 call at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 20, responded and began investigating as they would anytime they are called to a serious incident,” Gonzalez said.

“It is standard practice for ASU police to investigate serious-injury incidents on campus. This standard protocol is separate from the university’s administrative review.”

Although Aragon welcomed an investigation by ASU police, he shared concerns over its direct affiliation with the university.

“If ASU police is running the investigation, that seems like a conflict of interest to me of some sort,” Aragon said. “They may be independent. Their investigators may be independent or not. I welcome anything that gets us to the truth. And so as long as that's happening, I would love for ASU to investigate.”

Gonzales said ‘the university also is reviewing circumstances surrounding the workout and related university policies, procedures and training protocols. James Rund, senior vice president, is leading the review. The review will take the time needed to collect and assess information in a manner that is thoughtful, respectful of the student-athlete, his family, his teammates and ASU’s privacy obligations.”

Aragon is not convinced.

“They're circling the wagons, and they're protecting themselves from liability,” Aragon said. “What they should be doing is telling everyone, but especially the parents of the players and especially the Mayich family, what happened here, how they're going to address it and why it will never happen again.”

While myriad questions still linger, Mayich’s parents have held out hope that their son will show any signs of improvement since his hospitalization. Yet as days continue to stack, recovery seems unlikely, Aragon said. 

“They're devastated,” Aragon said. “They are a quintessential Canadian family that's tight-knit, hardworking, excited about their son playing hockey at a top 25 university and all of this happens because the coaches and this trainer put their kid through a workout that, frankly, never should have happened. 

“It's changed and, in many ways, ruined and altered their lives in ways that never should have happened.”

This article first appeared on Cronkite News and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.