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Arizona State University hockey player Matthew Mayich is in a coma with “zero chance of recovery” after he collapsed during an outdoor team workout on Aug. 20, according to the family’s lawyer, Robert Carey.
During an interview with The Arizona Republic on Aug. 31, Carey said Mayich, who is a 21-year-old sophomore defenseman, “was disoriented and struggled well before he collapsed” at the school’s track.
Mayich was taken to a local hospital and later transferred to Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, where he has remained with his family at his side.
Carey explained that ASU — which told The Arizona Republic it was conducting a thorough review of the incident — is pushing a narrative of “how minimal, how soft and how easy” the 50-minute workout was.
Carey said he interviewed multiple players who described the workout led by Tim Ziesel, a retired Special Forces veteran, as being “grueling” and “unbearably hard” — adding that the ex-Green Beret “yelled at them from the get-go … like a drill instructor.”
“My investigation shows the storyline is completely false,” Carey said. “This case has shattered [Mayich’s] life. He deserves, and his family deserves, a proper investigation.”
Players were allegedly told not to complain, and water was available only to those who led exercises — and whatever was left went to those who trailed, according to Carey.
Carey claimed the players fear retaliation, such as the loss of scholarships or positions, if they speak out.
Carey added that the coaches and staff should be suspended or put on administration leave in order for the University to speak with players who witnesses the workout and conduct a proper investigation.
Chris Fiscus, ASU vice president of media relations, told The Arizona Republic that the university “is reviewing everything surrounding the workout” in a statement on Aug. 25.
Ziesel said he left the workout before Mayich collapsed in a separate interview with The Arizona Republic.
“This was not a Green Beret or SEAL workout. Far from it,” Ziesel’s attorney, Buddy Rake, said in an Aug 27 interview with The Arizona Republic. “The head coach, assistant coaches and medical were always present.”
The incident occurred on the first day of a planned three-day workout with Ziesel.
Rake explained that day one of Ziesel’s workout included: 45-50 minutes of sprints, push-ups and flutter kicks, running with medicine balls, and lifting and carrying teammates.
Ziesel is willing to meet with Mayich’s parents, Rake said.
Mayich started his college career at Clarkson University before transferring to Arizona State this offseason.
The St. Louis Blues selected him in the sixth round (No. 170 overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft.
Last season with Clarkson, he scored 15 points on seven goals and eight assists.
He appeared in 34 games, tallying seven goals and eight assists in his freshman season at Clarkson.
Mayich, a Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada native, previously played with the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League for over 250 games.
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