Family lawyers for Arizona State University hockey player Matthew Mayich have criticised the university’s account of the training session during which the 21-year-old collapsed and suffered a life-threatening medical emergency.
Arizona State’s initial review, released on Monday, sets out a timeline of the August 20 workout but does not identify anyone as responsible. Instead, it recommends creating an external advisory panel to review outdoor training, emergency responses and the use of outside consultants. ([newsroom.asu.edu](https://newsroom.asu.edu/statements/hockey))
Leonard Aragon, one of Mayich’s lawyers, said the proposal failed to address whether existing safety rules had been followed. He described the recommendations as “an absurdity”, arguing that the university already had policies covering heat-related illness and athletic training.
The report says the workout took place at Sun Angel Stadium in Tempe between about 7am and 8.30am, with temperatures ranging from 86 to 89F and humidity between 46 and 51 per cent. Players carried out calisthenics, bodyweight exercises and running before Mayich collapsed during a relay involving a medicine ball. ([newsroom.asu.edu](https://newsroom.asu.edu/statements/hockey))
All three ASU hockey coaches and the team’s athletic trainer were present. A third-party instructor, Timothy Ziesel, who had previously spoken to the team about leadership, was also involved. The university said the coaching staff had not submitted a plan for the training activities to its strength and conditioning department for review.
The report says the trainer applied iced towels and cool water, called 911 and moved Mayich into the shade with help from players while waiting for paramedics. His lawyers have previously said he was not placed in an ice bath, a point that has become part of the family’s concerns about the response. ([arizonasports.com](https://arizonasports.com/ncaa/arizona-state/lawyer-asks-who-will-be-punished-for-events-leading-to-asu-hockey-player-matthew-mayichs-collapse))
Arizona State said 20 people had so far been interviewed as part of its review or a separate police investigation. Students were invited, but not required, to give evidence, while the university said retaliation against anyone raising concerns would not be tolerated.
ASU police are conducting a separate investigation into the incident and are expected to submit their findings to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. Mayich remains in hospital in a stable but critical condition, according to Aragon, while his family continues to seek an independent examination of the workout and the decisions made before and after his collapse. ([newsroom.asu.edu](https://newsroom.asu.edu/statements/hockey))
