By Staff Reporter |

The Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) has confirmed an independent review of the Arizona State University (ASU) hockey team coaching staff will take place.

Rep. Matt Gress (R-LD4) and Sen. Hildy Angius (R-LD30), who called for the independent review last week in their respective roles as chairs of the House and Senate education committees, thanked ABOR in a joint press release on Monday.

Matthew Mayich, a 21-year-old Canadian, collapsed from heat stroke during a workout with the ASU hockey team in August. Mayich had recently transferred to ASU and had only been in the Valley for about a week before he was subjected to an outdoor workout let by an outside workout instructor with a military background. Mayich is currently in a coma and on life support; while his family holds out for a recovery, his lawyers say it would take “a miracle.”  

ASU acceded to requests from lawmakers and Mayich’s family for an independent review and last Friday appointed Scott Bales, a former chief justice of the Arizona Supreme Court, to lead it.

ASU is maintaining a dedicated page addressing the incident and all related updates. 

“The Board has confirmed that Chief Justice Bales will examine what happened to Matthew Mayich on August 20 and what happened afterward,” said Gress. “That is what we asked for. Chief Justice Bales is highly respected, and we appreciate the Board of Regents and ASU giving him the independence and access he needs to get the facts.”

Bales was tasked with reviewing the facts identified by ASU, the Mayich family attorneys, ASU hockey team members’ attorneys, and law enforcement agencies.

Members of the ASU hockey team issued a statement of facts through counsel that largely disputed the initial analysis published by ASU. 

Additionally, Bales will make recommendations on planning and approval of outdoor athletic activities; staffing, policies, and procedures for outdoor athletic activities; preparation for and response to adverse events or reactions occurring during outdoor activities; and use of outside consultants in the planning and delivery of strength and conditioning and practice activities. 

ASU requested Bales complete his review by early December, and promised that additional updates would be provided as they become available. 

ABOR Chair Doug Goodyear told Gress and Angius in a letter on Monday that President Michael Crow provided ABOR with updates and a plan for Bales’ independent review.

Per Goodyear, Bales will have full access to university information including staff, records, and policies, with full cooperation of university staff. The review will allow for anonymity to prevent reprisals, and Bales has license to hire any and all outside help he feels is necessary to complete the review. 

“Justice Bales is a man of unquestioned integrity and independence,” said Goodyear. “As an Arizonan, he has a real commitment to helping this community understand the circumstances of this tragic event, and he will have both the access and the resources to do this job well.” 

Mayich’s family issued a statement through lawyers contending that the independent review already falls short because it doesn’t address who bears responsibility for Mayich’s collapse. One of their lawyers, Rob Carey, stated as much to CBC News.

“What is necessary, and what the Mayich family has asked for and deserves, is an investigation of what went wrong on that field and who is responsible,” said Carey. “Justice Bales has not been asked to answer those fundamental questions.”

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