Arizona State asks former state chief justice to lead independent review of hockey player's collapse

Arizona State has asked a former chief justice of the Arizona Supreme Court to lead an independent review of the collapse of hockey player Matthew Mayich during an outdoor workout in August.

Scott Bales will review Arizona State’s findings and information provided by attorneys for the Mayich family, attorneys for members of the hockey team and law enforcement, James Rund, ASU senior vice president of educational outreach and student services, said in a memo Friday to university President Michael Crow.

The 21-year-old Mayich collapsed during a workout on the first day the NCAA allows official activities. He suffered from exertional heat stroke that reduced flow of oxygen to his brain and is unlikely to recover, according to family attorney Rob Carey.

Rund said Bales will be tasked with making recommendations on multiple topics surrounding the planning, approval, staffing, policies and procedures for outdoor athletic activities. He will also review the use of outside consultants in strength and conditioning practices.

Bales was on the Arizona Supreme Court from 2005 to 2019, serving the last five years as its chief justice. The school has requested that his review be completed by early December.

The Mayich family was pleased the university brought in Bales, but not with the scope of his review.

In a statement made through Carey, the Mayich family said Bales should be looking into why the workout was allowed and why it wasn't stopped when players were in visible distress with no water or rest. They also want to know which school, conference and NCAA rules were broken.

“Justice Bales is a respected choice and he will do an excellent job. But ASU hired him to review policies that may help prevent a tragedy like this in the future. That’s not what’s needed right now,” the statement said. “What is necessary, and what the Mayich family has asked for and deserves, is an investigation of what went wrong on that field and who is responsible. Justice Bales has not been asked to answer those fundamental questions.”

The Mayich family pointed to the death of Maryland football player Jordan McNair after he collapsed during a workout in 2018. The school hired outside investigators and reported to the Maryland Board of Regents, which released the findings publicly.

The family called for Bales to report to the Arizona Board of Regents and “not to the office whose own review has missed too much.”

“There are firms that specialize in exactly this work. Some reconstruct exertional heat stroke cases and evaluate emergency preparedness,” the statement said. “Others investigate institutional and personnel failures. ASU should expand Justice Bales’ mandate to cover the questions that matter and let him bring in the expertise he needs. Otherwise, it should appoint a second independent investigator to examine what ASU’s employees did and failed to do, and the conduct of whomever they allowed to run the workout that left Matthew Mayich in a hospital bed fighting for his life.”

Arizona State’s preliminary report on its investigation said the hockey coaching staff requested permission for Timothy Ziesel, a former Green Beret, to speak with the team during a three-day team-building event. The coaching staff did not “submit a plan of training activities for review by ASU’s strength and conditioning coaches prior to the event,” the report said.

Arizona State placed hockey coach Greg Powers on administrative leave Wednesday as the investigation continues. Powers will not join the team for its season opener at Lindenwood on Friday.

“Our focus continues to be on Matthew and his family, and on our student-athletes to make sure they have the support they need during this time and as the season begins,” ASU athletic director Graham Rossini said in a statement after Powers was placed on leave. “We have continued to collect as much information as possible. After thorough and careful deliberation, I believe this is the best move to provide stability for the hockey program.”

Seven players sent a letter to Crow earlier this week urging the school to place the coaches involved in the workout on administrative leave until an independent investigation is conducted.

The players sent the letter anonymously through an attorney, fearing retribution from the coaching staff. They said several other players didn’t join in sending the letter out of fear of retribution.

Mayich’s parents, John and Christina Mayich, issued a statement on Tuesday agreeing with the players that the coaching staff should be placed on leave.

AP Sports Writer John Marshall contributed to this report.

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