Arizona State University has placed hockey coach Greg Powers on paid administrative leave after player Matthew Mayich collapsed during a workout and remains in hospital.
Assistant coach Mike Corbett will oversee the team temporarily, while the university said an interim head coach would be appointed “soon”. It has not said how long Powers will remain on leave.
Mayich, a 21-year-old sophomore from Ontario, Canada, collapsed on 20 August. His family’s attorney, Robert Carey, has said he is “unlikely to recover”.
The university’s report said Mayich was taking part in a “wind-down” exercise involving running with a medicine ball at an outdoor facility when he began to struggle. He stumbled, dropped the ball and fell, then tried to get up before dropping to his knees.
The school said players and coaches told him to remain on the ground, while an athletic trainer used iced towels and cold water in an attempt to cool him. Mayich was initially responsive, but his condition later deteriorated.
The high temperature that day exceeded 100F (38C), according to the National Weather Service, although the university said the workout took place when temperatures were between 86F and 89F.
Players challenge account of workout
Seven other players have disputed the university’s account in a letter to ASU’s president. They alleged that the workout lasted longer than reported, that water breaks were inadequate and that it continued after some players showed signs of distress.
The students, who have remained anonymous because they fear retaliation, said Mayich was not given any water breaks and had appeared distressed before the exercise during which he collapsed. They also claimed that required emergency equipment, including cold-water immersion tubs, was not available on the field.
They described the session as “grueling” and “military-style”, and said it was led by Tim Ziesel, whom the university described as someone who had spoken to the team about leadership and teamwork during the 2025-26 season.
Ziesel rejected that characterisation in a statement issued through his lawyer. “There is no such thing as a military style workout other than calisthenics done to a cadence,” he said.
He added: “The term ‘military style workout’ is a term that was made up out of thin air. The actual workout would be considered easy by a high school varsity football or basketball team.”
The players also alleged that Mayich remained in the sun for several minutes after collapsing, with limited cooling equipment available. They have called for the staff involved in the session to be placed on leave while an independent investigation is carried out.
Mayich’s parents, John and Christina, had previously called for the coaches who conducted the workout to be suspended. They said placing only Powers on leave was not sufficient because Corbett, described by them as Powers’s close friend of a decade, remained in charge of the locker room.
“Putting Powers on leave while his best friend of the last decade stays in charge of the locker room doesn’t solve the problem,” they said. They called for an interim head coach to have authority to suspend anyone who could pose a risk of retaliation against players.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said the ASU Police Department was investigating the incident. She said her office would review the matter “at the highest level” once that investigation was complete.
