The state board that oversees Arizona’s public universities is weighing what to do in response to an Arizona State University hockey practice that left a student on life support.
Matthew Mayich is still hospitalized more than six weeks after suffering exertional heatstroke during an outdoor workout in August. His family’s lawyer has said the 21-year-old is unlikely to recover.
An ASU Police investigation is ongoing.
But Arizona lawmakers have called for the Arizona Board of Regents to retain an investigator with no relationship to ASU to investigate the Aug. 20 hockey workout.
“ASU should not be left to investigate its own conduct and decide whether anyone should be held accountable,” Arizona House Education Committee Chair Matt Gress said in a press release Monday. “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.”
An item listed on the ABOR agenda for a closed-door session Thursday indicated the board was seeking legal advice on the issue.
And ABOR Chairman Doug Goodyear briefly spoke about the situation during the public portion of the Thursday meeting.
“We’re determined to understand the circumstances regarding what happened and will act accordingly," Goodyear said. "But in the meantime, we want the Mayich family to know that we share in their grief.”
ASU on Sept. 21 released an initial report about the workout that led to Mayich’s collapse. The report does not place blame on any party involved, but recommends ASU form an advisory panel to review university policies for outdoor athletic activities.
The university on Sept. 30 placed hockey head coach Greg Powers on paid administrative leave.
Members of the ASU hockey team and Mayich’s family continue to call for the entire coaching staff to be placed on leave. And they are also calling for an independent investigation.
In a letter to ASU President Michael Crow on Monday, seven anonymous members of the team said their coaches violated several university policies during the Aug. 20 practice.
They said Mayich never had a water break during the workout, which lasted more than an hour on a day when an extreme heat warning was in effect. And they said coaches were not prepared with a tub for full-body ice water immersion, as ASU policy requires for heatstroke emergencies.
The athletes also said they feared retaliation for speaking out if coaching staff remain in their positions while the incident is being investigated.
“If players fear retaliation for speaking about what happened to a teammate, [the Arizona Board of Regents] needs to act. They should protect these students and appoint an investigator who answers to the Board, not ASU,” Arizona Senate Education Committee Chair Hildy Angius (R-Bullhead City) said in a press release.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell has said her office for now does not plan to open an investigation separate from the ASU Police investigation.
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