Arizona lawmakers have asked the Arizona Board of Regents to appoint an independent investigator to examine a hockey workout at Arizona State University that left player Matthew Mayich in a coma. Mayich remains on life support after collapsing during the 20 August session in extreme heat. The lawmakers say an external inquiry is needed to establish what happened, whether university rules were followed and who was responsible.

The request follows an initial university review that found the team’s staff had not submitted a workout plan and that Mayich lacked proper hydration and adequate medical care after collapsing. Seven players, writing anonymously in a 26-page letter, dispute the review’s account of a water break: they say it came about 40 minutes into a 75-minute workout, lasted only seconds, and only around eight players got water. They also raised concerns about the outside consultant, described as a former US Army Green Beret, and sought protection from retaliation; the lawmakers asked the Regents to respond by 9 October.