Greg Powers, head coach for the Arizona State University men's hockey team was placed on leave as an investigation into the collapse of 21-year-old Matthew Mayich continued.
Assistant coach Mike Corbett will lead the team for its season-opening weekend, and an interim head coach will be named soon, ASU said in a brief Sept. 30 statement.
“We have continued to collect as much information as possible,” ASU athletic director Graham Rossini said in the statement. “After thorough and careful deliberation, I believe this is the best move to provide stability for the hockey program.”
Rossini said the university remained focused on Mayich and his family and on ensuring players had support as the season began.
Powers attended the Aug. 20 near-fatal workout
for the ASU hockey team alongside a guest instructor, Tim Ziesel, an ex-Green Beret who ASU said was not properly vetted by the school.
Mayich collapsed shortly before 8:30 a.m. during the first session of a planned three-day team event at Sun Angel Stadium on ASU’s Tempe campus, according to preliminary findings from a university investigation.
Powers has led the team since 2010, when the Sun Devils played in the American College Hockey Association. The team moved to NCAA competition in 2015.
During a Sept. 23 question-and-answer session with members of the media, Powers would not say whether he or anyone else should be held accountable for the decisions made before, during and after the workout.
When questioned by reporters, Powers defended himself as the right person to lead the team.
Mayich, 21, remains at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. Family attorney Robert Carey said his condition had not changed in more than a month and that he had no chance of recovery.
Contract rules and heat-illness policies appear violated
An ongoing investigation by The Arizona Republic found multiple potential policy violations connected to the workout and Mayich's collapse.
The Republic found the volunteer trainer did not go through the required vetting process or sign standard forms before starting drills. Ex-Green Beret Tim Ziesel was allowed to lead the workout based on a handshake agreement with Powers and other staff members, Ziesel's attorney said.
The Republic also found ASU did not appear to follow its own rules designed to protect students from exertional heat illness before, during and after the workout.
Emergency guidelines for treating heat illness call for immediate immersion in ice water, but the university found Mayich was left lying on the ground as staff draped him in wet towels. They moved him into the shade after calling 911.
Mayich did not go through the standard heat acclimation period for athletes. ASU's heat-illness policy says athletes should adjust to the heat gradually in workouts from seven to 14 days, with each exposure increasing in intensity and duration.
The university's report from ASU Senior Vice President James Rund indicates Mayich was in Arizona eight days before the workout. But his report shows he had only taken part in three days of workouts prior to his collapse. Of those, 15 minutes a day were held outside, a combined total of 45 minutes.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU hockey coach Greg Powers placed on leave after near-fatal practice
