TEMPE, AZ — Arizona State University has released its initial findings in the review of Sun Devil Hockey player Matthew Mayich's collapse during a team workout on Aug. 20, 2026. The Mayich family's attorney is calling the report inadequate, saying the university's own timeline proves safety protocols were violated.
Mayich collapsed shortly before 8:30 a.m. during a team-building workout at Sun Angel Stadium on ASU's Tempe next to Mullett Arena. Mayich's attorney says he remains in stable but critical condition.
In an interview with Canadian Broadcaster Sportsnet Mayich's father said Matthew's family is hoping for a miracle.
"He basically got heat stroke, had nothing to do with his heart. He came in in shape," John Mayich said. "He was 100% ready to go this season, and I guess just the heat and it just snowballed from there and he ended up collapsing and is still in a coma right now."
The new report, authored by Senior Vice President for Educational Outreach and Student Services James Rund and addressed to ASU President Michael Crow, outlines the circumstances of the workout and proposes the formation of a blue-ribbon advisory panel to review outdoor athletic activity practices.
What the review found
The report found that the ASU Hockey coaching staff requested permission for outside consultant Timothy Ziesel to participate in the workout but did not submit a written plan of training activities for review by ASU's strength and conditioning coaches before the event. Ziesel, an Army special forces veteran, had previously spoken to the team during the 2025-26 season about leadership and teamwork.
The report also notes that Ziesel did not have a contract with ASU to provide consulting services, and that his participation was arranged by an ASU Hockey supporter who introduced Ziesel to head coach Greg Powers in January 2026. Under ASU's outside consultant policy, outside consultants are not permitted to work with student-athletes until all procedural steps are completed and approval documentation is received.
The workout began around 7 a.m. at Sun Angel Stadium and lasted approximately 80 minutes. Outdoor temperatures ranged from 86° to 89° F with relative humidity between 46% and 51%. Activities included calisthenics, push-ups, planks, flutter kicks, bear crawls, squats, sprints of more than 30 yards, and a buddy carry, according to the University's findings.
The report says Mayich had arrived in Tempe from Canada on Aug. 12, eight days before the workout, and was medically cleared for athletic participation the following day.
Near the end of the session, Ziesel allegedly directed student-athletes through a wind-down run while carrying medicine balls, then left. Mayich was in the 3rd or 4th group to complete the run when he stumbled, dropped the ball, and fell to the ground. He attempted to get up and fell again.
The athletic trainer assessed his condition, applied iced towels and cool water, and eventually moved him to shade and called 911 when his condition deteriorated. EMS transported Mayich to the hospital.
The report states that 20 individuals have been interviewed as part of the university's administrative review or by the ASU Police Department. The ASU Police Department's report, when complete, will be forwarded to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office for independent review.
Family attorney responds
Leonard Aragon, a partner at Hagens Berman in Phoenix representing the Mayich family, said the report falls short of accountability.
"I've read ASU's report. It recommends new policies. ASU had policies. They called for a cold tub on the field, a wet bulb globe thermometer reading, a consultant who'd been checked out, and a 911 call the moment an athlete goes down. None of that happened, and ASU's own timeline says so," Aragon said.
Aragon also disputed the head coach's characterization of the workout's length.
"The coach said the workout was planned for ninety minutes and cut short at forty-five. ASU's own timeline has Matthew on that field for more than eighty minutes, in a grueling workout with almost no water, with no acclimation to anything like it, eight days off a plane from Canada, and nobody doing their job on safety or ready for an emergency," Aragon said.
Aragon said players have described the event as a punishment workout, in which groups were required to repeat exercises if a count was missed, and that the head coach was present throughout and did not intervene when warning signs appeared.
"A month later, nobody's been named, nobody's been suspended, nobody's been fired for violating the very policies ASU published today, and the university wants to appoint a committee," Aragon said.
What ASU says it will do next
ASU said it will convene a multi-disciplinary panel of experts to review best practices for planning and approving outdoor athletic activities, staffing and monitoring those activities, responding to adverse events, and the use of outside consultants.
The University says all student-athletes will be invited to provide suggestions and information as part of the process, with options for confidential and anonymous input. ASU said it will make public any policies it adopts or modifies based on the panel's recommendations.
"A committee isn't going to tell us why grown men with a rulebook in their hands let this happen to a young man at his first real workout in the desert. That's what an investigation is for, and it's why we're going to ask the County Attorney to do one," Aragon said.
The university said it remains committed to respecting the privacy of Mayich and his family and that retaliation against any individual for providing information as part of the review or police investigation will not be tolerated.
Sun Devil Hockey coach Greg Powers is scheduled to speak to the media for the first time since the workout on Wednesday.
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