Seven Arizona State hockey players have disputed aspects of the school’s review of teammate Matthew Mayich’s collapse during an offseason workout and have asked the university president to place the Sun Devils‘ coaching staff on administrative leave pending further investigation into the incident.
In a 26-page letter sent to Arizona State president Michael Crow on Monday, Sept. 28, the players said Mayich didn’t receive water and received inadequate care after collapsing during an Aug. 20 workout due to heatstroke. Mayich remains on life support, with no chance of recovery.
The seven players, who account for about one-quarter of the Sun Devils’ roster, filed the letter anonymously through Phoenix attorney Timothy Casey, out of fear of retaliation. All players have signed legal attestations stating that they were present at the workout.
In the letter, the players contested much of the university’s preliminary account from senior vice president James Rund, which was publicly released on Sept. 22 and leveled no blame for what happened during the workout, which was led by an ex-Green Beret. The players said that Mayich was showing signs of distress and that coaches and staff who were present for the workout failed to follow the university’s exertional heat illness policies before, during and after Mayich’s collapse. After the workout, they said Arizona State coach Greg Powers minimized Mayich’s condition and told them their teammate would be fine.
“This was not a team building session,” Casey said to The Arizona Republic, which is part of the USA TODAY Network, on Sept. 28. “This was to break men down. It was full of sarcasm and ridicule. This was a perfect storm of cruelty and incompetency.”
Emergency guidelines for treating heat illness call for immediate immersion in ice water, but the university found Mayich, who had no pre-existing medical conditions, was left lying on the ground as staff draped him in wet towels.
The Republic found that Tim Ziesel, the former Green Beret leading the workout, did not go through the required vetting process or sign standard forms. Instead, Ziesel’s attorney said he was tasked with the workout based on a handshake agreement with Powers and other staff members.
Arizona State officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Republic about the letter.
The 21-year-old Mayich was a sophomore who was in his first season with the Sun Devils after transferring in from Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York.
In their letter, the players wrote that additional teammates share their concerns, but have similar fears about retaliation.
“We should not have to choose between telling the truth about August 20 and keeping what we have worked our whole lives for,” the players wrote.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Arizona State hockey players call for school to place coaches on administrative leave
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