On August 20, 2026, Arizona State University hockey player Matthew Mayich collapsed during an outdoor team workout in Tempe, Arizona. Mayich, a 21-year-old defenseman and 2023 sixth-round draft pick of the St. Louis Blues, had recently transferred to ASU after playing at Clarkson University. He remains hospitalized with severe neurological injuries that his family’s attorney has attributed to exertional heat stroke.[1]
Mayich’s collapse raises serious questions about the responsibility universities have to protect student-athletes during team workouts, especially when those workouts involve extreme conditions and outside instructors. ASU has begun reviewing the incident, but many details surrounding what happened that morning remain allegations.
What Happened at ASU?
ASU has confirmed that Mayich participated in an official team workout on the morning of August 20. Coaches and athletic training staff were present, along with a third party who had previously worked with the hockey program. ASU Police received a 911 call at approximately 8:30 a.m. The University has since begun reviewing the workout and the policies and procedures that were in place.[2]
According to Mayich’s attorneys, the team participated in a military-style conditioning workout led by former Green Beret Tim Ziesel, who was not an ASU employee. The workout allegedly included sprints, push-ups, planks, bear crawls, and other conditioning exercises. The family has also alleged that players had limited access to water and that Mayich became dizzy, confused, and disoriented before collapsing.[3] Questions have also been raised about whether Mayich, who had recently arrived in Arizona, was adequately acclimatized to the heat.[4]
These details remain allegations, and no determination has been made that ASU or anyone involved acted negligently. But if litigation follows, what happened during the workout will likely be central to whether ASU did enough to protect Mayich.
What Legal Duties Could Be Implicated?
Under Arizona law, colleges and universities generally owe students a duty to exercise reasonable care in connection with on-campus activities.[5] For student-athletes, that duty may also apply to the conditions under which a university requires them to train.
If litigation follows, several questions could be important in determining whether ASU acted reasonably under the circumstances. Did the workout create an unreasonable risk of heat illness? Were athletes given adequate water and opportunities to recover? Did Mayich show recognizable signs of heat illness? And, if so, did those supervising the workout respond appropriately? The answers could help determine whether the risks were reasonably foreseeable and whether adequate precautions were taken.
The involvement of an outside instructor adds another layer. ASU has acknowledged institutional requirements governing outside entities that interact with student-athletes.[6] That raises questions about who authorized Ziesel to conduct the workout, what oversight he received, and whether the workout complied with university policies. Bringing in someone from outside the athletic department does not necessarily create liability, but it could make the University’s process for reviewing and supervising the workout especially important.
This is also not the first time a university has faced questions after an intense workout led by someone with military training. In September 2024, members of the Tufts University men’s lacrosse team participated in an offseason workout led by an alumnus who had completed Navy SEAL training. Following the workout, 24 of 61 participants were diagnosed with exertional rhabdomyolysis, and nine were hospitalized.[7] An independent investigation later found that the individual lacked credentials to design or supervise group exercise, the workout was not sufficiently reviewed by the athletic department, and principles of acclimatization were not properly followed.[8]
Of course, what happened at Tufts is not identical to what happened at ASU. The Tufts incident raises similar questions about how universities vet outside instructors, review conditioning programs, and make sure appropriate safeguards are in place before athletes participate.
The NCAA has also established guidance for preventing and responding to exertional heat illness. NCAA sports medicine guidance identifies exertional heat stroke as a medical emergency and emphasizes rapid recognition and cooling, including cold-water immersion.[9] ASU has stated that its athletic department maintains heat-illness guidelines informed by recommendations from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association.[10] These guidelines alone do not mean ASU violated a legal duty, but they may help show what precautions were reasonable under the circumstances.
What Comes Next?
ASU is conducting its own review, while Mayich’s family has called for an independent investigation. Until those investigations are completed, it is difficult to know exactly what happened that morning or whether anyone failed to meet a legal duty owed to Mayich.
Still, the incident raises a larger issue for college athletics. Universities routinely require student-athletes to participate in demanding conditioning programs. When those workouts are required and controlled by the university, there is also a responsibility to take reasonable steps to keep athletes safe. The experience at Tufts shows that the risks associated with unconventional and military-style workouts are not entirely new. As the investigation into Mayich’s collapse continues, the question may not simply be whether these risks were foreseeable, but whether enough was done to prevent them.
References:
[1] Associated Press, Lawyer for Arizona State hockey player who collapsed during workout searching for answers, Sept. 2, 2026. https://www.wric.com/sports/sports-headlines/ap-lawyer-for-arizona-state-hockey-player-who-collapsed-during-workout-searching-for-answers/
[2] Arizona State University, Statement on ASU Hockey Team Member, Sept. 3, 2026 https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/asu-hockey-breaks-silence-player-054807223.html
[3] Cronkite News, ASU hockey player Matthew Mayich’s attorney calls for independent investigation, Sept. 4, 2026. https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2026/09/04/asu-hockey-mayich-investigation/
[4] Arizona Republic, ASU heat policies raise questions about life-threatening workout, Sept. 2026. https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/college/asu/2026/09/04/asu-heat-policies-matthew-mayich-hockey/91601217007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=false&gca-epti=z115718p116350l117150c116350e1106xxv115718&gca-ft=7&gca-ds=sophi
[5] Boisson v. Arizona Board of Regents, 236 Ariz. 619, 343 P.3d 931 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2015).
[6] Arizona State University, Statement on ASU Hockey Team Member, Sept. 3, 2026.
[7] Tufts University, Summary of Investigators’ Report on the Men’s Lacrosse Workout, Jan. 31, 2025. https://www.tufts.edu/president/speeches-and-messages/013125-summary-of-investigators-report-on-the-mens-lacrosse-workout
[8] Id.
[9] NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook, Guideline 4B, Exertional Heat Illness. https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/ssi/publications/SSI_SMHB.pdf
[10] Arizona State University, Statement on ASU Hockey Team Member, Sept. 3, 2026.
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