Arizona State University failed to follow its own heat guidelines and policies for vetting an ex-Green Beret guest trainer invoving an Aug. 20 workout in which hockey player Matthew Mayich collapsed, according to preliminary findings from a university investigation.
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, an initial report released Sept. 22 found.
ASU's hockey coaching staff also did not submit a required training plan for review before the workout, according to the report.
ASU Senior Vice President James Rund outlined the findings to ASU President Michael Crow, calling for a blue-ribbon advisory panel,
made up of experts who would recommend how the university should conduct outdoor athletic activities and use outside consultants.
Rund said 20 people were interviewed so far, either for the university's review or by ASU police. All hockey players were invited to share what they saw, but none were required to take part, he said. Several have spoken with police.
Rund said ASU would not tolerate retaliation against anyone who provides information or raises concerns in either inquiry.
Still, Rob Carey, the attorney representing Mayich's family, called the initial report a "whitewash" and said the university is trying to avoid responsibility for catastrophic failures that left Mayich in a hospital with no chance of recovery.
"I'm just astounded that they focused on better procedures when they have really good policies — they just weren't followed," he said. "It is not a serious effort."
Carey said the report shows why the family believes ASU cannot be trusted to investigate itself. He earlier reiterated calls for an independent law enforcement agency to take over the investigation.
Mayich, 21, remains incapacitated at Barrow Neurological Institute, Carey said.
Supporters in Buffalo, New York, and in his hometown of Stoney Creek, Ontario, have held a daily rosary for him since his collapse more than a month ago.
ASU report confirms findings first disclosed by The Republic
The report confirmed previous reporting by The Arizona Republic, which found multiple potential policy violations connected to the workout and Mayich's collapse.
The school did not appear to follow its own rules designed to protect students from exertional heat illness before, during and after the workout.
The report confirmed that the volunteer trainer for the exercises did not go through the required vetting process or sign standard forms before starting drills.
Ex-Green Beret Tim Ziesel was allowed to lead a planned three-day workout based on a handshake agreement with the head hockey coach and other staff members, his attorney told The Republic on Sept. 15.
Rund's report does not address whether all applicable policies were followed.
Buddy Rake, Ziesel's attorney, said the report is consistent with what he has learned.
Rake said Mayich's case "got way off track by trying to find blame before facts were known."
He said questions remain including what the players' conditioning involved and what activities Mayich took part in during the days before he collapsed. He said Mayich's family should receive "complete transparency."
What ASU report said about hockey team's workout
ASU’s timeline says hockey staff submitted an outside-consultant request Aug. 12 without a written activity plan.
Rund said the coaching staff requested permission for Ziesel to speak to the team but did not submit the planned training activities for review by strength and conditioning coaches.
ASU’s outside-consultant policy, included with the report, applies to paid and volunteer consultants and requires an annual request form. The policy bars consultants from working with athletes, coaches or staff until required procedures are completed and documented approval is received.
The report does not say whether the consultant request was approved or what any approval covered. The timeline says physical activities were part of the proposal during summer planning.
Carey earlier said Mayich was in the Phoenix area only five days before the workout. ASU's report says he arrived from Canada on Aug. 12, eight days before he collapsed, and was medically cleared by a physician and an athletic trainer the next day.
ASU's heat-illness policy says athletes should adjust to the heat gradually over seven to 14 days, with each exposure increasing in intensity and duration.
The ASU report also found that Mayich participated in three prior voluntary workouts, with each including approximately 15 minutes of outdoor exercise.
ASU's timeline stated those workouts occurred between Aug. 14 and Aug. 18.
The day before the workout where Mayich collapsed, Greg Powers, the head hockey coach, told the athletes that an upcoming activity would consist of a "team building exercise with physical activity built in," the timeline said.
During the Aug. 20 workout, Ziesel directed exercises including pushups, planks, sprints and teammate carries, according to ASU’s timeline. All three hockey coaches and the assigned athletic trainer attended the workout, according to the report.
The report states that Powers directed a water break approximately 20 minutes into the activity and that players also drank water at other times, but it did not specify if Mayich drank any water.
At approximately 8:06 a.m., Ziesel instructed players to complete a final run carrying 10-pound medicine balls, then departed, according to the timeline. Mayich collapsed shortly before 8:30 a.m.
How hot was it during the ASU hockey workout?
The temperature was 86 degrees with 51% relative humidity at 6:51 a.m., shortly before the workout, according to weather data cited in ASU’s report.
At 7:51 a.m., the temperature was 87 degrees with 49% relative humidity and winds of 6 mph. Conditions were mostly cloudy at both readings, according to the report.
An 8:51 a.m. reading showed 89 degrees with 46% relative humidity. That reading came after the window in which ASU says Mayich collapsed.
ASU also calculated estimated wet-bulb globe temperatures, a measure of heat stress that accounts for air temperature, humidity and solar radiation. At 7:51 a.m., those estimates were 82 degrees in full sunlight and 76 degrees in shade. The report said mostly cloudy conditions would put the value between the sunlight and shade estimates.
Mayich struggled before he collapsed, ASU says
ASU said Mayich collapsed sometime between 8:20 and 8:30 a.m.
Its timeline says Mayich struggled while running, stumbled, dropped the medicine ball and fell before he attempted to rise, only to fall again.
A trainer assessed Mayich and applied iced towels and cool water, Rund's report said. She called 911 when his condition deteriorated and directed players to help move him into shade, where cooling continued with towels and hose water.
The Republic has previously reported that ASU’s guidelines describe immediate cold-water immersion as the first choice for treating heat illness. The heat-illness policy included with the report calls for a cold tub to be half-filled with water before an event so it can be used immediately if necessary, with three to four coolers of ice beside it.
By 8:40 a.m., ASU's timeline showed emergency medical services took Mayich from the field to the hospital.
What comes next in the ASU hockey practice investigations?
In a Sept. 4 letter, Carey asked ASU to turn the investigation over to Phoenix police, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office or state police. He also raised concerns about players fearing retaliation if they spoke out.
Rund said ASU would not tolerate retaliation and that 20 people had been interviewed through the administrative investigation or ASU police investigation.
Student-athlete interviews were voluntary, he said.
A report from ASU police would be provided to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for independent review, Rund said. He did not announce a transfer of the investigation to another police agency.
Rund described the findings as preliminary and said the university had limited medical information.
Rey Covarrubias Jr. is a reporter for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email him at: rcovarrubias@azcentral.com, and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ.
Robert Anglen is an investigative reporter for The Republic. Reach him at robert.anglen@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X @robertanglen.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU report on hockey player shows team didn't follow school heat rules
