Opinion: Arizona State must hold independent investigation into hockey program

All eyes have been on Arizona State this week, but not because of their upcoming football season opener. Instead, the attention has been on the hockey program, and for all the wrong reasons.

In case you've missed it, Sun Devil hockey player Matthew Mayich collapsed during a team workout held the morning of August 20, 2026, the first day that the hockey team was allowed to hold team activities. Mayich has been in a coma ever since, and the attorney for his family has said there is "zero chance of recovery."

The workout was led by Tim Ziesel, a non-university employee and former Green Beret. The outdoors workout consisted primarily of "military-style" exercises unrelated to hockey and, per reports, there was limited water available.

Liane Blyn, the head of sports performance for Sun Devil hockey, was not present due to an agreement to give Ziesel carte blanche autonomy over the workout. However, head coach Greg Powers and three assistant coaches were present for the workout.

According to reports, Ziesel left the premises before the workout concluded and, presumably, before Mayich collapsed.

In response, Arizona State has begun an internal inquiry into the matter. Athletics Director Graham Rossini was very intentional about calling it an inquiry rather than an investigation during a local radio appearance:

The family's lawyer has called for an independent investigation, as well as for Powers to be suspended until such an investigation can be concluded.

This is absolutely the right call.

To be clear, this is not about assigning blame to Powers Ziesel or anyone else. Simply put, not enough is known at this stage to do that, and it would be irresponsible to take permanent action against anyone without knowing the facts.

However, knowing the facts is key, and right now there aren't many. Most of the information that's come out has come from lawyers, who aren't exactly known for being arbiters of truth in every case.

What we do know is that the workout Ziesel led for the hockey team is, at best, a controversial routine. Back in 2024, the lacrosse team at Tufts University participated in a similar workout led by a former Navy SEAL trainer. Afterwards, 24 players developed rhabdomyolysis and nine players were hospitalized.

Official guidance from the NCAA warns against intense workouts during transition periods, saying "It is imperative to recognize the vulnerability during these periods and to ensure that both proper exercise and heat acclimatization are implemented."

The timing of this workout - the very first day of allowable team activities after the offseason - is exactly such a transition period.

We also know, per the Mayich family's attorney, that heat stroke was the cause of Mayich's collapse. Put two and two together and it's easy to connect the dots and infer that NCAA guidance on transition periods and heat acclimation was not sufficiently followed.

Beyond that, there are far too many questions that demand answers.

What was the justification for holding such an intense workout so early in the academic calendar? Why was the workout held outdoors? Why was there not sufficient water provided for the players? Why did Ziesel leave early? Did Mayich show earlier signs of distress, and if so, how did Ziesel and the coaches respond? And is Powers still holding workouts or team activities?

That last question gets to the heart of the issue, too. Right now, there's not much information to go off of, but Powers is absolutely under scrutiny right now. Nobody seriously thinks Powers wanted any of this to happen, but it's easy to question his assessment of what is safe for his players now.

That's even more true after Mayich's family's attorney stating that other hockey players are currently scared of retaliation from Powers if they speak up about what was happening that morning.

The attorney has also accused Arizona State of mishandling the current inquiry and "circling the wagons." And while university police have begun their own investigation into the matter, it's hard to call that a true independent investigation considering they ultimately work as an entity of the university.

If Rossini and Arizona State are genuinely interested in finding a proper resolution here - and I believe they are - the correct move is to suspend Powers and assign an independent investigator to review what happened.

Again, this is not an accusation of Powers or the university. But transparency has become a legitimate question now, made worse by the fact that it's been 15 days (as of publication) since Mayich collapsed and Arizona State has hardly said a word. Whether fair or not, their silence has not inspired confidence.

If the university investigates itself and finds that nothing was done wrong, few people will believe it. Powers, Rossini, the hockey program, and the university as a whole will lose credibility.

Similarly, the attorney for Mayich's family should not be the one to investigate either, as he's said he is doing. Since he represents a party in this matter, it's impossible to claim he is impartial either.

Right now, the thing that is needed most is transparency. Mayich's family deserves that as they wait by his side in the hospital. Transparency will not be achieved with an internal investigation or from an attorney already involved.

The right thing to do is put Powers on leave, conduct a truly independent investigation, determine all the facts from that morning, and then take the necessary actions from there.

Nothing from here on out will undo the damage that has been done to Mayich, his family, the hockey team, and the community at large. But handling this situation properly will, at the very least, make it easier to process this tragedy.