ASU hockey player collapses after workout & "won't recover"

[samhexum]

The family of NHL prospect and college hockey player Matthew Mayich called for members of Arizona State University’s coaching staff to be put on leave as they slammed the university’s handling of the investigation into why he was hospitalized after a workout.

Mayich, 21, remains hospitalized after he collapsed during an outdoor military-style workout on the morning of Aug. 20 at ASU’s Joe Selleh Track in Tempe. According to The Athletic, attorney Rob Carey is representing his family and said the university mishandled the investigation into his medical emergency.

“It’s very clear to me that this is a time when adults have to do the right thing — sometimes the right thing is the hard thing — and from everything I can tell and the leads we have, ASU is not handling this responsibly,” Carey said, per the outlet.

Carey told the Arizona Republic that Mayich has “zero chance of recovery.”

According to the Athletic, several anonymous sources said the workout, conducted by Tim Ziesel (who is not an employee of the university and just volunteered to lead the workout, per NBC affiliate 12 News) included sprints, planks, pushups and bear crawls over roughly 60 minutes. If any of the players could not complete the exercises or “lagged behind other groups” during the workout, they were required to participate in additional exercises.

Ziesel’s attorney Tim Rake told 12 News the former military service member “was just doing this out of the goodness of his heart and his love for ASU.”

Rake added, “There isn’t a D1 athlete on the planet that would describe this as a hard day of exercising, including the ASU hockey team,” per the local news station.

However, the Mayich family attorney Carey claimed that he’s “already gotten information on what happened that day,” and said he’s “very confident it was a grueling, onerous and dangerous workout,” per The Athletic. “A kid’s life was basically ruined, the family is devastated, and people refuse to accept responsibility,” Carey added, telling the outlet his team will pursue all resources to obtain relevant communications from Aug. 20, including deleted text messages and videos.

The family’s attorney also argued that members of the coaching staff should be placed on administrative leave, citing it was “routine procedure” as the investigation continues.

Arizona was under an extreme heat warning on Aug. 20, according to a local weather report.

The Canadian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce hosted a virtual prayer service for Mayich on Facebook on Tuesday, Aug. 25. “🙏💙 Prayers for Matthew Mayich 💙🙏Please join in sending prayers and positive thoughts to Matthew Mayich, from Stoney Creek, Ontario, now a sophomore at Clarkson University, as he faces a very difficult time,” it wrote. 

“Let’s come together as a community and show Matthew and his family our love, strength and support. 🙏💙,” the post added. 

Mayich started his college hockey career at Clarkson University in New York before transferring to ASU. In 2023, he was a National Hockey League (NHL) sixth-round pick of the St. Louis Blues, per USA Today. 

[cany10011]

I had a personal trainer who pushed me with relays and planks until I blacked out.I fired him immediately afterwards. Next time, listen to your body and know when to stop. 
 

[+ sync]

I say begin at the beginning, how is it that an individual, allegedly not an employee of the university, granted access and authority to conduct students' physical training exercises?

[+ Just Sayin]

it was awfully hot here in Arizona when this happened; even normal tasks are difficult in the extreme heat; those guys ahould not have been outside performing military-style workouts under those conditions

[+ azdr0710]

he was supposed to have acclimated for over a week per ASU heat policy.....was less than five days

https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/college/asu/2026/09/04/asu-heat-policies-matthew-mayich-hockey/91601217007/

[samhexum]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7575354/2026/09/08/derek-phillips-iowa-marching-band-taken-off-life-support/

Iowa band member taken off life support, dies after collapsing in 92 degree heat at Kinnick Stadium

 

A third-year University of Iowa band member died Tuesday morning, three days after suffering a heart attack in the stifling heat at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, according to a news release from the university’s band and music departments.

Derek Phillips, who led the Hawkeye Marching Band’s mellophone section, was taken off life support Monday. In a statement on Instagram, Phillips’ family wrote, “Despite the extraordinary efforts of the ICU team at the University of Iowa Hospital, the damage to his brain was too severe, and we have made the heartbreaking decision to remove life support.”

Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz said he was “heartbroken” to learn about Phillips’ death.

“On behalf of everybody associated with our program, we just want to offer our thoughts, our condolences to his family, his friends and all the people he impacted, certainly, in his life,” said Ferentz, who opened his Tuesday news conference discussing Phillips. “It’s just a really, really, very, very sad thing.”

Heat-related issues were prevalent at stadiums around the country Saturday, and particularly in Iowa City, where the temperature reached 92 degrees and the heat index soared to at least 105 degrees with limited cloud cover. For the first time, the Hawkeye Marching Band did not perform at halftime because of excessive heat.

Phillips, a Western Dubuque (Iowa) High graduate, performed and traveled with the band, and he also participated in drama.

“Derek brought so much light, humor and kindness into this world,” his family wrote. “He was a phenomenal musician — whether he was playing jazz, singing his heart out, or marching under the lights, music was the language of his soul. He just had the absolute summer of his life touring in drum and bugle corps. We are so grateful for that experience.”

In a statement, the directors of the Hawkeye Marching Band and School of Music wrote Wolfe was “the kind of friend, student, and musician that represents the very best of what it means to be a Hawkeye.”

“This Saturday, and for the rest of our season, the Hawkeye Marching Band and School of Music will honor Derek’s memory, and we will communicate those details as they take shape,” the statement read.

Counselors were made available to university students. The Hawkeye Marching Band is set to perform Saturday as part of the Iowa-Iowa State football game at Kinnick Stadium.

In a statement, the university wrote: “The entire Hawkeye Marching Band family is thinking of Derek Phillips and his loved ones. We are grateful to his parents for providing regular updates to the students who love Derek. This is heartbreaking for everyone who cares for him. The university is in close contact and is offering support.”