The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has interviewed several current and former Los Angeles Angels players as part of their ongoing investigation in the death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs, according to the Los Angeles Times via Sports Illustrated. A few of the players who were interviewed by the DEA were Andrew Heaney, Noe Ramirez and Trevor Cahill, as well as former Angels pitcher Matt Harvey. It was also reported that two other Angels players were interviewed by the DEA, but their names are unknown.
“Trevor was friends with Tyler,” agent John Boggs said, referring to Cahill, “but all this other craziness that happened over the weekend was news to everybody.”
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This comes on the heels of the DEA interviewing an Angels employee about Skaggs. Eric Kay, the Angels’ director of communications, reportedly told the DEA there were potentially five other players using opiates during their time with the team.
Skaggs, 27, was found dead in his hotel room on July 1 just hours before the Angels were about to face the Texas Rangers. It was determined that Skaggs had Fentanyl, oxycodone and alcohol in his system. Once the autopsy was released, Skaggs’ family released a statement.
“We are heartbroken to learn that the passing of our beloved Tyler was the result of a combination of dangerous drugs and alcohol,” the statement read. “That is completely out of character for someone who worked so hard to become a Major League baseball player and had a very promising future in the game he loved so much.
“We are grateful for the work of the detectives in the Southlake Police Department and their ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding Tyler’s death. We were shocked to learn that it may involve an employee of the Los Angeles Angels. We will not rest until we learn the truth about how Tyler came into possession of these narcotics, including who supplied them. To that end, we have hired attorney Rusty Hardin to assist us.”
So far, the Angels have denied the reports of opioid use by their players.
“We are shocked to hear these reports. … We had no prior knowledge of Tyler or any other member of the Angels organization having abused opioids or any narcotic and continue to work with law enforcement to get answers,” team spokesperson Marie Garvey said.
