- Arizona State University police are investigating the events around Matthew Mayich’s Aug. 20 collapse, per The Athletic
- One source says the agency is assessing whether any criminal acts occurred, separate from the school’s own review
- Read below for what the Mayich family’s attorney wants from the police investigation
Arizona State’s police department has opened an investigation into Matthew Mayich’s collapse.
Katie Strang, Adam Kilgore and Nathan Fenno of The Athletic reported Wednesday that the Arizona State University Police Department is looking into the events surrounding the collapse and hospitalization of the St. Louis Blues prospect. Two people familiar with the investigation confirmed it, both on condition of anonymity.
One of them said the agency is assessing whether any criminal acts occurred, and that the work is separate from the “review” the university has said it is conducting. The other said officers have begun reaching out to players.
A school spokesman told the outlet it is standard practice for campus police to investigate serious injuries on university property.
Austin Kelly added a piece to it after the report landed. He was told ASUPD is the lead body on the case, and that Tempe police have not been asked to take part:
Mayich family attorney Rob Carey was asked to respond to police stepping in. He called it “a step in the right direction,” then spelled out what he expects from it:
“But there are standards for doing this properly. Collect and preserve evidence, including what might have been deleted; use subpoenas and warrants; get unfettered access to university systems; interview witnesses separately and protect them from retaliation; and be transparent about the process and the findings.”
Carey also updated the 21-year-old’s condition, which remains critical. He was asked what caused the injury:
“This injury is from exertional heat stroke that caused a lack of oxygen to the brain. There were no other contributing conditions, only exertion-related heat. This is not an induced coma. We need a miracle.”
We posted the family’s earlier update Wednesday morning, when Carey told the Arizona Republic that Mayich has “zero chance of recovery” and that the family has no faith in the school’s inquiry. The photo attached is Mayich in a Blues sweater at the 2023 draft, the summer St. Louis took him.
The Aug. 20 session was the first workout allowed under NCAA rules this year, and a non-university employee with military experience ran it. Players were put through sprints, planks, pushups and bear crawls, with instructions that had to be repeated back and counts that had to be correct. Anyone who missed either, or trailed their group, was given extra work.
Tempe Fire Medical Rescue took a call for a “heat-related illness” at Sun Angel Stadium at 8:31 a.m. that morning. Ten minutes later, a first responder radioed a nearby emergency room to prepare for a male with a “serious heat emergency.”
The temperature that morning was 86 degrees with 51 percent humidity and no wind, according to Weather Underground’s database. The National Weather Service recommends 15 minutes of breaks within every hour of exercise in those conditions.
The Athletic confirmed Tim Ziesel led the workout. Ziesel has not answered repeated calls, texts or an email asking what took place.
Executive vice president James Rund is running the university’s review. Athletic director Graham Rossini was asked about that process on Arizona Sports 98.7 and drew a line between it and something larger:
“An investigation where someone is suggesting something went wrong. We’re just reviewing the facts and understanding the scenario.”
Mayich is a sophomore defenseman from Stoney Creek, Ontario. He transferred to Arizona State from Clarkson this offseason after the Blues drafted him in the sixth round in 2023, and he never played a game for the Sun Devils.
Campus police operate independently of the Tempe department and hold jurisdiction over land owned by the Arizona Board of Regents. Whether they use the subpoenas and warrants Carey asked for is the piece the family is waiting on.
