Attorney calls for investigation after ASU hockey player collapses during workout in extreme heat

An Arizona State University hockey player who became unresponsive during an outdoor training session in extreme heat nearly two weeks ago remains hospitalized and may never recover, his family’s attorney said.

“Just think, worst-case scenario,” attorney Robert Carey told KJZZ. “He’s incapacitated and unlikely to recover.”

Twenty-one-year-old Matthew Mayich was new to the team and had been in Arizona less than a week before the first day of coach-led training on Aug. 20, according to Carey.

The National Weather Service had issued an extreme heat warning that day. And Carey said ASU hockey coaches had invited a former Green Beret to lead a “military-style” outdoor workout for the players.

“Arizona State just went out there and it was purposely grinding these kids in a grueling, punishing workout, and kids were struggling,” Carey said.

Carey said he has spoken with other players who participated in the training who said they were given few opportunities for breaks and limited access to water.

“It's just contrary to everything anyone with any sense or any training in this area would ever do, and that's what caused this,” Carey said. “Matthew was in perfectly good health. This was 100% a direct result of heatstroke and dehydration, and the way the university handled all of this.”

An attorney for the former Green Beret who led the workout has denied that the exercises were “military-style” or excessively strenuous.

“There isn't a D1 athlete on the planet that would describe this as a hard day of exercising, including the ASU hockey team,” attorney Buddy Rake said in an interview with 12News.

In a statement to KJZZ, a spokesperson for ASU said the university does have guidelines for sports teams to invite third-party trainers to interact with student athletes.

And the spokesperson said Sun Devil athletics has heat safety policies in place based on guidelines from the the National Athletic Trainers’ Association.

A position statement from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association emphasizes the importance of rest and hydration to prevent exertional heat illness. It also says athletes should be gradually acclimatized to training, noting that athletes are most susceptible to heat-related illnesses during the first two-to-three weeks of practice.

“All possible preventive measures should be used during this time to address this high-risk period,” the position statement says.

Carey is calling for an independent investigation into the Aug. 20 ASU hockey workout.

“The coaching staff should all be put on administrative leave so that they're not around the student athletes because you're never going to get the truth when you have a coach who's still in place and still controls scholarships and playing time and athletic benefits,” Carey said.

The ASU spokesperson said James Rund, ASU senior vice president for educational outreach and student services, is leading a review of the university’s policies and the circumstances surrounding the incident.

“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,” the spokesperson said. “While the review is ongoing, Coach Powers and other SDA and university staff will continue to provide support and resources to the hockey student-athletes and to share information with them in a manner that respects the privacy of the student-athlete and his family.”