Just eight days after arriving in Arizona, Matthew Mayich’s life changed forever, and not for the better. The 21-year-old Canadian hockey player had only recently joined Arizona State University when he collapsed during an outdoor team workout at Sun Angel Stadium on August 20. Mayich appeared to struggle while running, stumbled and fell, then tried to get back up before collapsing again. He was soon rushed to the hospital, but more than a month later, he remains on life support. Now, his family’s attorney has come forward with serious allegations about what happened that morning, claiming ASU ignored its own safety rules.

“They ignored their own policies.” That is how Robert Carey, the attorney representing Mayich’s family, described the incident in a recent interview with Fox News on September 23. Carey says several basic safety measures that were already required by ASU should have been in place that morning. Instead, he alleges they were not. He has now asked the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office to open a criminal investigation into what happened.

Carey also questioned the person involved in leading the workout, alleging that the trainer, former Green Beret Timothy Ziesel, “wasn’t certified, “wasn’t approved,” and “didn’t go through the proper vetting process.”

Mayich had arrived in Tempe on August 12, just eight days before the incident. He was used to completely different playing conditions (colder ones) in Canada. According to Carey, the young defenseman, who had completed only three outdoor workouts during that time, each lasting roughly 10 to 15 minutes, was put through an approximately 80-minute outdoor session in Arizona’s August heat on that fateful day.

“They put him outside with a Green Beret whose sole mission was to break these kids,” Carey said, describing the outside participant involved in the workout. Carey also claimed, “He had no water. He had no rest. And they ground him for 80 minutes outdoors in Arizona in August.”

However, ASU’s report gives a different account of the workout and the response after Mayich began struggling. The university said the session ran from about 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., with temperatures between 86 and 89 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity ranging from 46% to 51%. The workout included running, push-ups, planks, calisthenics, and other bodyweight exercises before the players took part in a running drill involving medicine balls.

According to ASU’s report, Mayich appeared to struggle while running. He stumbled, dropped the medicine ball, and fell. He attempted to get up and resume running but fell to his knees. An athletic trainer assessed him and used iced towels and water to cool him. When his condition worsened, 911 was called, and emergency responders were sent to Sun Angel Stadium. But Carey says the response raises another set of questions.

“They didn’t have cooling tanks available, which would have saved his life,” Carey said. “And it’s mandated by their policies, but they didn’t have it available,” Carey alleges that Mayich was instead sprayed with water from a hose connected to an outdoor spigot. He estimated that the water was around 90 degrees Fahrenheit. He also argued that the environmental conditions made the workout more dangerous than the temperature alone suggested.

ASU has acknowledged that the hockey coaching staff requested permission for an outside participant to work with the team, but the training plan was not submitted for administrative review by ASU’s strength and conditioning coaches before the workout. The university has said it is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the workout, along with its policies, procedures and training protocols.

Carey, however, says the family does not want ASU to simply investigate itself. “They just want the facts,” he said. “They want to know what’s happened. And so far, we haven’t gotten anything.”

“They literally blamed no one, found no violation, addressed nothing they did wrong,” Carey said. Those are Carey’s allegations and characterization of the university’s response. ASU has not publicly assigned individual blame and has said its investigation into the circumstances is ongoing. Now, the family is asking for an investigation outside the university.

Whatever the investigation ultimately finds, the impact on Matthew Mayich and his family has already been devastating, leaving the young hockey player with a slim chance of recovery.

Matthew Mayich’s family holds onto hope as investigations continue

On September 17, Matthew’s parents, Christina and John Mayich, spoke with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman about their son’s condition. They said, “We’ve been told there was a workout scheduled for early [that day], and I guess it was hot, and the conditions weren’t good for working out,” John told Friedman. He said Matthew “basically got heat stroke” and stressed that his collapse “had nothing to do with his heart.”

As Matthew began struggling in the Arizona heat, John said the situation “just snowballed from there.” “He ended up collapsing and is still in a coma,” John said. “Considering the situation, I think we’re somewhat strong in just trying to push through. We’ve got no choice.” For Christina, the family’s focus has been on getting through each day and holding on to hope.

“We’re taking it day by day,” she said, adding that the family is “praying hard” for “a miracle” for Matthew. However, the family’s attorney, Rob Carey, has previously described Matthew’s chances of recovery in extremely bleak terms, telling PEOPLE that he has “zero chance” of recovery.

Meanwhile, ASU hockey coach Greg Powers has also spoken publicly about the incident for the first time. Powers declined to answer specific questions about Matthew’s collapse while multiple investigations remain ongoing. He did, however, defend his position as head coach and said he believes he is still the right person to lead the ASU hockey program.

“I have 20 years of experience here. And a lot of success with developing relationships that I value very much, that the players also value,” Powers said. “Not everything is going to go perfectly, and I’m certainly far from that.”

For now, ASU’s police department is investigating the incident, and the university has said its report will be provided to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for independent review once the investigation is completed.