Matthew Mayich’s family thanks ASU hockey players for disputing initial review

The family of Arizona State hockey player Matthew Mayich thanked his teammates a day after seven anonymous team members, through a lawyer, disputed details from ASU’s initial review of the workout that hospitalized him.

In a statement released Tuesday, John and Christina Mayich clarified they want the Sun Devils to be able to continue their 2026-27 season — without worrying that their current coaching staff could retaliate against them.

“We’ve heard some things about what our family wants that aren’t right, so we want to be clear,” the family statement said. “We want this team to have a great season, and we’ll be cheering for you. But the coaches who ran that workout on August 20 need to be removed while an independent investigation gets to the truth.

“The players shouldn’t have to worry about retaliation from the people they report to every day. And there are plenty of former college and pro players in the Valley who could step in and help.”

Arizona State has not placed head coach Greg Powers or any staffers on leave ahead of the season opener this Friday at Lindenwood.

Powers has only addressed the matter once since Mayich was hospitalized on Aug. 20 following a workout led by a former Green Beret Tim Ziesel, who is not employed by the university. Mayich collapsed during a workout led by Ziesel at Sun Angel Stadium in Tempe.

The players say the session lasted more than 75 minutes, not 45 as laid out in an initial review that came to light in a letter from Senior Vice President James Rund to President Michael Crow.

The players say Ziesel left before the final drill, when Mayich fell.

They also say no cold-water immersion tub or ice was on the field, as ASU’s heat policy requires. Rund’s letter to Crow did not touch on whether the school believes coaches and training staff members followed the athletic department’s policies for approving the workout or treating heat exhaustion.

“Mostly, we want accountability for what happened to our son, and we want his teammates to be safe,” John and Christina Mayich’s statement said.

An attorney for the Mayich family, Robert Carey, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday that much of what the players describe was new to the family and “far worse than we knew.”

The case is being investigated by the ASU Police Department, but Mayich’s attorneys have asked the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office to open their own independent investigation.

County Attorney Rachel Mitchell wrote in a letter Friday that it was not planning to pursue its own investigation, but MCAO still planned to review ASU PD’s review once it was completed.

“While I cannot say that I will open an entirely new investigation, what I can tell you is that we will make sure that we are satisfied that all appropriate investigative steps have been taken, and all evidence gathered,” she said, adding that it is “unwise” to open a simultaneous investigation next to ASU PD’s.

“To that end, I have directed my attorneys to convey your letter to ASU PD investigators to ensure that the specifics you mention are addressed. I also have made investigators and other resources from my office available to ASU PD should they need assistance.”

Read the full message from John and Christina Mayich to ASU hockey players

“We’re so grateful to Matthew’s teammates. A lot of you have come by, sent messages, and kept Matthew in your thoughts every day. It means more to us than we can say.

We’ve heard some things about what our family wants that aren’t right, so we want to be clear. We want this team to have a great season, and we’ll be cheering for you. But the coaches who ran that workout on August 20 need to be removed while an independent investigation gets to the truth. The players shouldn’t have to worry about retaliation from the people they report to every day. And there are plenty of former college and pro players in the Valley who could step in and help.

Nobody should keep quiet about what they think should happen because they believe that’s what we want. It isn’t. If anyone wants to know what we want, ask us. We want the truth, and we want it done in a way that lets the boys focus on hockey instead of wondering whether their coaches think they talked.

Mostly, we want accountability for what happened to our son, and we want his teammates to be safe.”

— John and Christina Mayich

KTAR.com’s David Iversen contributed to this story.

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