An Arizona State University (ASU) hockey player remains on life support, and Arizona lawmakers are urging a third-party investigation into the university.
Matthew Mayich, 21, collapsed due to heat stroke during a team workout outdoors on the morning of Aug. 20, 2026. Over a month has passed, and Mayich remains in a coma.
The ASU Police Department is currently conducting a criminal investigation into the incident. Mayich had arrived at ASU as a transfer just days before the deadly workout.
ASU issued an initial report on the incident about a month later, offering a summary and timeline of events. The report indicated that the hockey team coaching staff failed to follow preapproval protocol for the workout instructor and conditioning plan, but overall reported that staff adhered to university policy.
The ASU initial report reportedly collected information from 20 individuals that were interviewed either by the university or by ASU police. James Rund, ASU senior vice president and report author, stated that ASU was seeking recommendations from a panel of experts on new and improved policies to prevent heat illness incidents among student athletes.
However, a week after ASU published its initial report seven anonymous members of the hockey team issued their own account of events that disputed key facts central to ASU’s initial report. According to these players, it wasn’t for a lack of existing best practices and policies that Mayich suffered — it was for an alleged disregard of them.
The seven student athletes published their account through counsel anonymously, claiming fear of retaliation.
The players’ account alleged that Mayich was not permitted to acclimatize to the Valley and exhibited signs of heat illness early on in the workout. The players accused coaching staff of ignoring signs of heat illness exhibited by Mayich and other team players, including vomiting and stumbling, while the workout instructor, Tim Ziesel, belittled them.
“Matthew crawled on hands and knees and appeared disoriented. When he stood, he nearly fell. In the buddy carry, one of us carried him, but he could not carry his partner back. During the workout an assistant coach held his phone sideways, pointed at us, recording video or taking photographs,” stated the account. “Matthew was struggling to stay on his feet and leaned on a teammate to stay upright. Ziesel belittle[d] the player saying his eight-year-old son could do the workout, that none of us were worthy of his daughter (which was odd because we understood his daughter to be quite young) and that he would not stay for the last event, then said, ‘Oh, by the way, you’re not done yet,’ assigned the medicine-ball relays, and left. Ziesel also told us he did not like hockey and that the games he played were ‘life or death.’”
According to the teammates, Mayich and “many” others on the team were denied access to water throughout the 75-minute workout.
The players also alleged that staff didn’t have heat illness preventatives or treatments on the field where they were training, and that staff improperly treated Mayich’s heat stroke. The players stated that they were ordered to tend to Mayich’s condition initially, not trained staff.
Mayich’s teammates further expressed concern that police had shared investigative materials with ASU administration while a criminal investigation remains ongoing.
The players’ account prompted Arizona legislative leadership to urge the Arizona Board of Regents to source an independent investigator to sort out the discrepancies between the hockey players’ account of events and ASU’s initial report. State Rep. Matt Gress (R-LD4) and Sen. Hildy Angius (R-LD30), both chairs in their respective chamber’s education committees, issued the call to action.
“We need an independent investigation to determine whether ASU followed its own rules, who was responsible for protecting these athletes, and what happened when Matthew Mayich showed signs of distress,” said Gress. “ASU should not be left to investigate its own conduct and decide whether anyone should be held accountable.”
Their account also prompted a response from Mayich’s parents, who requested ASU place the hockey team coaching staff who participated in the deadly workout on leave pending an independent investigation.
On Wednesday, ASU placed the hockey team’s head coach, Greg Powers, on paid administrative leave. Powers allegedly selected Ziesel to lead the deadly, unapproved workout.
“After thorough and careful deliberation, I believe this is the best move to provide stability for the hockey program,” said ASU Athletics Director Graham Rossini.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell advised the Mayich family attorney in a September 25 letter that her office wouldn’t be conducting a separate investigation simultaneously. Mitchell’s office will review the case once the ASU Police Department submits it to them.
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