Arizona State head hockey coach Greg Powers appears to have taken a drastic step amid the investigation into the hospitalization of sophomore defenseman Matthew Mayich.
The X account belonging to Powers, 49, which is listed on his official Arizona State bio page, has seemingly been deleted.
Us has reached out to Powers for comment.
Mayich, 21, collapsed during an outdoor, military-style workout on August 20, prompting the Arizona State Police Department to launch a formal investigation. Mayich has “zero chance of recovery,” according to his family’s attorney, Robert Carey.
In an exclusive interview with Us, Carey called on Powers and the other coaches present at the workout to be placed on leave while the investigation plays out.
“As the investigator, you have to separate the witnesses from the people being investigated,” Carey said on Thursday, September 3. “When you have people in a hierarchical system like this, you need to put people on leave and do the investigation so that people have a safe space in which they can be honest. That’s all we ask. We just want them to be transparent and tell everybody what’s going on.”
The lawyer added, “I already know what’s going on. I’ve talked to enough people where I know what happened on the field that day. When I get my facts out, it’s going to be … it’s horrific. They didn’t plan it right, they didn’t execute it right and they weren’t prepared for the likely scenario of heat stroke. They were utterly unprepared for it.”
Carey told Us he’s “confident” Mayich didn’t receive any water throughout the nearly hour-long workout and alleged the student’s body was left on the outdoor track for minutes before being treated.
The attorney said the rest of the players on the Arizona State hockey team are “scared” as the investigation into Mayich’s collapse continues.
“They think they might lose their scholarships,” Carey claimed. “They think the program might crumble. They might not get playing time if they cross the coach.”
Powers was observed walking into Mountain America Community Iceplex, where the Sun Devils practice, on Thursday by Cronkite News.
Arizona State is scheduled to open their season on October 2 at Lindenwood University.
In a statement to Us on Thursday, a spokesperson for Arizona State said, “The morning outdoor workout was a team event at which coaches and training staff were present along with a third party who had previously worked with the ASU Hockey team.”
“Sun Devil Athletics also has heat-illness guidelines in place; these guidelines are informed by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association,” the statement continued. “SDA student-athletes regularly practice and train outside, under coach and trainer supervision.”
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