Parents of hospitalized Arizona State hockey player call for coaches to be placed on leave

The parents of an Arizona State University hockey player who collapsed during a summer team workout and remains hospitalized are calling for coaches involved to be placed on leave.

John and Christina Mayich called on ASU’s president in a letter sent through their lawyer Tuesday to place coaches who ran the Aug. 20 workout, which was led by an Army veteran, on leave “while an independent investigation gets to the truth.”

Matthew Mayich, 21, collapsed during the outdoor workout just five days into his start with the team and suffered external heatstroke for which he remains hospitalized and from which he is unlikely to recover, family attorney Rob Carey has said.

Seven players, who their lawyer said were not named for fear of retaliation, sent their own letter Monday to ASU President Michael Crow, disputing several findings in ASU’s initial internal report into the incident. Though the letter did not include past instances of retaliation by the coaching staff, the players said they are afraid of being retaliated against because the coaches “decide our playing time, scholarship levels, and roster status.”

The Mayiches said Tuesday in their letter: “The players shouldn’t have to worry about retaliation from the people they…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business