Matthew Mayich's situation has forced a major change at Arizona State, with head coach Greg Powers now placed on administrative leave.
Assistant coach Mike Corbett will take over the Sun Devils for this weekend's season-opening series at Lindenwood, according to Brad Elliott Schlossman. The decision comes two days after seven Arizona State players challenged the school's account of the August 20 workout.
Those players sent a 26-page letter to university president Michael Crow asking that Powers and his staff be placed on leave while the circumstances surrounding Mayich's collapse are investigated.
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The players did not publicly demand that Powers be fired. Their documented request was administrative leave and an outside investigation, with the letter submitted anonymously because they said they feared retaliation.
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Their language showed just how fractured the relationship had become. The players wrote that Powers and his assistants controlled their “playing time, scholarship levels, and roster status.”
They added that they “should not have to choose” between discussing what happened on August 20 and protecting everything they had worked for in hockey.
Players challenged Powers' response to Mayich
The letter also contained serious allegations about Powers' reaction after Mayich collapsed. Players alleged Powers described the situation as “just a little heat stroke” and said he had “seen this a million times.”
The players said Mayich never received water during the outdoor workout. They also disputed Arizona State's timeline, saying the lone water break came 35 to 45 minutes into a session lasting more than 75 minutes.
Their account said only about eight players reached the water bottles before the workout resumed, while Mayich was still completing a bear crawl.
Players also alleged Mayich showed visible signs of distress before collapsing, including disorientation and difficulty maintaining his balance. They wrote that nobody intervened while his condition deteriorated.
The strongest collective statement may have been their assessment of Powers afterward: “at no point” did he appear to appreciate the severity of what had happened, they wrote.
Mayich remains hospitalized after suffering heat-stroke-related brain trauma. The Arizona State police investigation remains active, with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office expected to review the matter once that work is completed.
Now Powers is away from the bench, Corbett is taking over, and Arizona State enters its opening weekend with the players' concerns driving a major coaching change before the first puck drop.
Should Greg Powers remain away from the Arizona State program until an outside investigation is completed?
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