The news surrounding the death of former Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs is tragic. According to the toxicology report, he had Fentanyl, oxycodone, and alcohol in his system and had choked on his own vomit. The cause of death surprised many, including Skaggs’ family, and sparked a multitude of reactions on social media, among the team, and in the overall sports world.
For many, this tragedy showed a new side to Skaggs. For others, however, it only brought about questions surrounding the cause of death. Did he procure the drugs on his own, or was he helped by a team employee as many reports indicate?
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No matter what happened, however, it remains clear that the majority of people on social media don’t agree with the pursuit of this investigation. Whether or not a team employee helped Skaggs obtain the drugs is irrelevant to them; what matters more is that he, unfortunately, made a choice to take the drugs and lost his life as a result.
Granted, there were some individuals on social media that simply wanted to make divisive comments just for the sake of wreaking havoc and hurting feelings. Although they were fewer in number than those that sincerely expressed sadness over Skaggs’ passing.
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If there was any previous confusion about Fentanyl, one individual set out to provide an answer. According to sources on the internet, this controlled substance is used to treat severe pain. It’s not an everyday pain reliever, especially considering that it can have “very serious interactions” when combined with alcohol.ย
Eek pic.twitter.com/tmYORJiXyf
โ KAPLER IS NOT THE PROBLEM (@StopBuntingPlz) August 30, 2019
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One of the most common responses to the news surrounding Tyler Skaggs was that he was “clearly addicted” to drugs. Yes, he was found with oxycodone and Fentanyl in his system, both of which can cause physical and psychological dependence. That being said, having those substances does not automatically guarantee that Skaggsย was an addict or had even used them on previous occasions.ย
In the end your son willingly took drugs. And itโs clear it wasnโt a one time thing. You can blame others for making drugs available but theyโre not responsible.
โ NoDayButToday (@NoDay13ut2day) August 30, 2019
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One individual wants to examine this tragedy through the lens of free will. Reports do indicate that an employee of the Angels organization helped procure the drugs for Skaggs, but how far did their involvement go? Was this employee responsible for the former pitcher taking the substances, or were they simply a messenger?ย
I donโt talk Ill of the dead, but unless that employee put a gun to his head, that employee wasnโt involved in a decision he made on his own.. sad reality
โ ๐ช๐๐โ๏ธBigRob8409โ๏ธโพ๏ธ๐๐ (@BGR316) August 30, 2019
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While the team and managers have reiterated the toxicology report does not affect their views of Skaggs, that certainly is not the case with certain baseball fans. One individual, in particular, has quickly moved beyond sadness at Skaggs’ death and has since decided that he is a disgrace to MLB.ย
Why would they wait to release the results ? Who cares what the players have to deal with, heโs a disgrace to baseball and the entire team should be drug tested to see what other druggies they have!
โ Tom Bayes (@tombayes347) August 31, 2019
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In this situation surrounding Tyler Skaggs and his untimely death, there is a clear divide. For some, he is a junkie, end of story. Others, however, are not going to judge Skaggsย just quite yet. They don’t have all of the details surrounding his death, nor do they know what he was going through on a daily basis. Ultimately, the details of this incident won’t change the opinion that Skaggs’ death was a tragedy.ย
1. We didnโt need to know all this 2.never judge someone til you walk in their shoes 3. Still tragic
โ NJVA my4boys (@LynchJimmy123) August 30, 2019
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Obviously, the incident is over, but what will be the ultimate outcome of the story? Obviously, there are ongoing investigations by MLB, lawyer Rusty Hardin, and the Southlakeย police, but those will eventually end. Where will the Angels go from here? One individual sees the opportunity to help others that may be dealing with pain, either physical or mental.ย
so sad for everyone.๐
โ serenitysbeach๐ (@serenitysbeach) August 30, 2019
hope the @Angels launch a strong drug awareness/mental health campaign to help prevent future deaths and the suffering of grief stricken families and friends.
good can come out of tragedy, it is this hope we must hang onto.๐
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Are there ulterior motives for the investigation into Tyler Skaggs’ death? According to multiple people on social media, this move by the family is only leading to a lawsuit in order for them to “cash in” on his death. Very strong words from outsiders that are only associated with the story by way of reading it on the internet.ย
Why is family hiring an attorney? Trying to sue someone to cash in on his death? Unbelievable.
โ Mark Rakowski (@rakowski_shark) August 30, 2019
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There are many that doubt the validity of the family’s investigation into the Angels organization, but they do have supporters. In fact, one individual on Twitter wants the lawyer charged with the investigation to interrogate every person that may have contacted Tyler Skaggs on the day of his death. She does not believe that he willingly took one of the substances.ย
I refuse to believe Tyler took fentanyl voluntarily. Spiked drink is my guess. I wouldn’t stop until I interrogated everyone that encountered him or was present that night. The Angel’s employee better start talking…
โ Rilla Christina (@rilspecial) August 31, 2019
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The decision to pursueย this investigation to determine if the Angels employee assisted Tyler Skaggs in obtaining the drugs is being met with considerable skepticism, but there are supporters of the idea.ย Although there is a limit to the support. For example, one individual on Twitter believes that the employee in question should be held partially responsible, but the decision to take the substances ultimately was made by Skaggs.ย
The person who got him the stuff should be held accountable but Tyler is the one who willingly ingested them.
โ Matt Wohlert (@mpwohlert) August 30, 2019
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One of the most common questions surrounding the death of Tyler Skaggsย is “why was he taking these substances when a drug test could possibly take place?” Well, the answer is that MLBย generally only conducts tests when there is suspicion of use or if the player is in a treatment program. The league isn’t setting out to test every player on a regular basis. Additionally, these powerful painkillers don’t fit within the performance-enhancing substances boundary.ย
Looks like MLB is going to have to step up random drug tests. From what I have been reading they only test if there is suspicion .
โ Judy Simpson (@beansie8242002) August 31, 2019