The Arizona Republic’s Robert Anglen reported Friday on questions about whether Arizona State followed its heat-acclimatization policies before the Aug. 20 workout during which defenseman Matthew Mayich collapsed and was hospitalized.
The Mayich family has retained attorney Rob Carey, who has told multiple media outlets that Mayich has “zero chance of recovery.”
From The Arizona Republic:
The comatose Arizona State University hockey player may have been in metro Phoenix for less than a week before being allowed to participate in a military-style outdoor workout, potentially violating the school’s heat policy.
Athletes are supposed to be acclimatized, or exposed, to the heat gradually over seven to 14 days by steadily increasing the intensity and duration of activity in the sun, according to a review of Athletic Department guidelines by The Arizona Republic.
Matthew Mayich had been in the Phoenix area “five days max” when his family’s lawyer said the 21-year-old suffered exertional heatstroke and collapsed on Aug. 20 during a series of drills led by an ex-Green Beret on the first day of class.
In addition to The Arizona Republic’s reporting, two former ASU coaches in sports other than hockey told College Hockey Insider that they were surprised the workout took place so soon after players arrived on campus, and during the first day of classes.
Both coaches spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are currently employed at other universities. They described restrictions that were in place during their respective tenures at ASU, although neither claimed to have direct knowledge of the policies in effect for the hockey program on Aug. 20.
Carey, in multiple interviews, has said that Mayich was in Arizona for "five days max."
“I can only speak to the way it was at the time I was there, but we were not allowed to do anything outside for at least 14 days after the players got to campus,” one former coach said. “There was no wiggle room in that. Players would work out in a climate-controlled situation, but even those were relaxed for the first week. When we did get outside, we needed to be done by 7 a.m. No excuse. That was a hard rule.
“Policies change, so maybe since I’ve left it’s different, but that’s how it was when I was there, which is why it was surprising when I read it was on the first day of classes.”
The former coach said their team’s outdoor conditioning included a 1-mile run and other exercises.
A second former ASU coach told College Hockey Insider that similar restrictions were in place during that coach’s tenure.
“We did nothing outside for at least two weeks,” the coach said. “Sometimes, depending on the year, we had times where we did nothing but meeting and really did nothing physical.”
A former administrator who worked at another Arizona university also told College Hockey Insider that similar heat-acclimatization restrictions were in place at that institution during the administrator’s tenure.
Arizona State released a statement Thursday that, in part, addressed the university’s heat-related policies. The full statement can be read here.
The portion pertaining to those policies reads:
The morning outdoor workout was a team event at which coaches and training staff were present along with a third party who had previously worked with the ASU Hockey team. ASU has institutional guidelines and requirements relating to the engagement of outside entities who interact with ASU student-athletes and sport programs.
Sun Devil Athletics also has heat-illness guidelines in place; these guidelines are informed by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association. SDA student-athletes regularly practice and train outside, under coach and trainer supervision.
More from The Arizona Republic:
Mayich was not immediately rushed to a cooling station or dunked in an ice bath when he fell down at the ASU track; he was instead left on the ground for several minutes, Carey said.
“They didn’t have any cooling plan in place,” he said.
School guidelines say the first choice for treating heat illness “is with immediate cold water immersion,” even if an athlete is fully clothed. They say “a cold tub half-filled with water” should be ready for immediate use. Three to four coolers of ice should be next to the tub to use in case of emergency.