TEMPE, AZ — ASU Athletic Director Graham Rossini spoke on the Greg Powers situation Thursday as the Sun Devils traveled ahead of their season opener Friday.
Rossini made the comments during a regularly scheduled appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7's Burns and Gambo Show.
"Really the decision for coach to step aside right now was based on getting them ready to play. They want to play. They want to move forward. We want to start to limit the distractions around the program so they can focus on hockey," Graham Rossini said.
Rossini said he has spoken to players several times in light of seven anonymous players publicly disputing ASU's initial report on the Matthew Mayich incident.
"The most important thing for Matthew is information and we'd really encourage anybody within the program to communicate that when they've been requested to or however they chose to share it," Rossini said.
While Rossini praised assistant coach Mike Corbett's selection to lead the team, ABC15 found Corbett has twice been arrested for DUI. According to a Scottsdale Police Department report, his most recent arrest came in 2024, hours after the Sun Devils played Michigan. The report alleges Corbett hit a curb and told officers he had had two or three beers at his office.
When asked to submit to a breathalyzer, Corbett allegedly said, "I'm going to blow over, I'll guarantee you that."
He also allegedly told officers, "I'm going to lose my job if I blow into that."
Corbett did not lose his job. Instead, he was tapped to lead the Sun Devils this weekend.
Rossini defended the choice.
"Mike Corbett saying 'yes' to lead the bench this weekend, he has head coaching experience, he has a steady presence about him. And so the focus right now is let's get through the weekend," Rossini said.
Attorneys for the Mayich family are also expressing concerns about assistant coach Alex Hicks, who will remain on the bench this weekend. They described Hicks as Powers' best friend of the last decade and says him being in the locker room prevents players from feeling comfortable coming forward with information.
On Wednesday, ABC15 ASU whether the university was aware of Corbett's arrests and whether he had faced any discipline as a result. As of Thursday afternoon, the university had not responded.
Rossini told Arizona Sports 98.7 the plan is to have an interim head coach in place by next week and said there has been significant interest in the position.
He said he has not spoken to Coyotes legend Shane Doan about the role.
Rumors have been swirling about former University of North Dakota coach Brad Berry, but Rossini did not directly address those rumors, saying only that there had been significant interest in the job.
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