The facts
Arizona State University placed men’s hockey head coach Greg Powers on administrative leave while it investigates an outdoor workout in August that ended with player Matthew Mayich collapsing. Mayich, 21, suffered external heat stroke that reduced oxygen flow to his brain; his family attorney Rob Carey says he is unlikely to recover. The practice took place in 89 °F heat and no cold‑water immersion tub – a standard treatment for overheating – was available. The workout was led by former Green Beret Tim Ziesel, who does not have a contract with the university. ASU athletic director Graham Rossini said the leave was intended to provide stability for the program. Seven players wrote a letter to university president Michael Crow urging the school to place the coaches on leave until an independent investigation is completed. Mayich’s parents supported the players’ request. The National Collegiate Hockey Conference issued a statement backing the university’s decision and expressing concern for Mayich and his family.
Our take
Here’s the fucking game plan Arizona State hockey cooked up: take a bunch of college kids, march them outside into 89‑degree Arizona heat, hand the drill over to a random former soldier with no university contract, and then sit back while one of them literally cooks from the inside out. The only piece of equipment missing was a cold‑water immersion tub – the hockey equivalent of forgetting the puck for a fucking game. This isn’t a conditioning drill; it’s a slow‑motion execution supervised by clowns who think ‘toughness’ means ignoring basic human biology. Greg Powers, now on paid administrative leave, let Tim Ziesel turn a practice into a war‑zone reenactment. Ziesel’s only qualification appears to be his Green Beret background, which says nothing about safe athletic conditioning. Mayich’s external heat stroke cut off oxygen to his brain, and his lawyer says he is unlikely to recover – a prognosis far beyond a typical sports injury. ASU’s athletic director Graham Rossini claimed the leave would provide stability for the program, yet the program is as stable as a house of cards in a hurricane when seven players and a grieving family are begging the university president to fire the coaches. The National Collegiate Hockey Conference’s statement of support feels like a PR fig leaf for an institution that allowed an unvetted, unqualified mercenary to boil a teenager’s brain for team spirit. The only thing more pathetic than the workout is the ass‑covering circus that followed. They didn’t provide stability; they delivered a masterclass in cowardice, proving that when a kid’s life is on the line, these bastards’ first instinct is to protect their own jobs.
