TEMPE — Arizona State University on Friday retained former Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Scott Bales to lead an independent review of outdoor athletic practices after hockey player Matthew Mayich collapsed during an Aug. 20 workout and remained hospitalized with a grim prognosis.
In a letter released through ASU’s newsroom, Senior Vice President James Rund said Bales will review planning and approval of outdoor strength and conditioning sessions, staffing and safety procedures, how staff prepare for and respond to adverse events, and the use of outside consultants. ASU asked for recommendations by early December. Student-athletes will be invited to participate, including confidential options, with Vice President of Student Services Joanne Vogel serving as liaison.
Mayich, 21, collapsed from heatstroke during the outdoor session, according to family attorneys and local coverage. An ASU Police investigation remains open. Family attorney Robert Carey said Bales is a qualified choice but argued a policy-focused mandate misses the core demand: determining what went wrong on the field and who is responsible. Carey urged ASU to expand Bales’ charge — or appoint a second independent investigator — and said findings should report to the Arizona Board of Regents and be made public.
Bales served more than a decade on the Arizona Supreme Court, including five years as chief justice, after nearly 20 years in private practice. University leaders framed the hire as a response to pressure from Mayich’s family and teammates who said ASU should not investigate itself alone.
The review lands as ASU faces scrutiny over heat-safety protocols for outdoor sports in the Valley’s extreme late-summer conditions — a debate that reaches beyond one hockey practice to how universities staff, monitor and stop workouts when athletes show distress.