Federal prosecutors filed court documents on Friday which reveal that a former Los Angeles Angeles employee — who facing trial in connection to the death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs — may have also supplied illegal drugs to at least five other Major League Baseball players, according to CBS Los Angeles. The documents show the intention of prosecutors to present testimony from the five players who allege they received oxycodone from Eric Kay, the former Angels public relations director.
None of the players are named in the documents, and this was first reported by the Los Angeles Times. Kay is accused of being the “singular source” of the oxycodone that killed Saggs. He also allegedly provided other players with amounts of “two to three pills while others would ask for up to 20 pills.”
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“The evidence will also demonstrate that Kay often coordinated the distribution through text messages or through conversations involving the victim 1/8Skaggs 3/8,” the filing said. “This witness testimony will in many instances be corroborated by text message communications. Evidence will also demonstrate that Kay was motivated to obtain these pills because Kay could himself use some of the pills that he obtained for the players. It therefore provides context and background to the distribution at issue in the indictment.”
Skaggs died in a Texas hotel room on July 1, 2019. It was determined through a medical exam that Skaggs died from “mixed ethanol, fentanyl and oxycodone intoxication,” leading to him choking on his vomit. Kay was indicted last October on distributing oxycodone and is charged with conspiring to “possess with the intent to distribute” fentanyl. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In June, Skaggs’ family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Angels. “The Angels owed Tyler Skaggs a duty to provide a safe place to work and play baseball,” the lawsuit said. “The Angels breached their duty when they allowed Kay, a drug addict, complete access to Tyler. The Angels also breached their duty when they allowed Kay to provide Tyler with dangerous illegal drugs. The Angels should have known Kay was dealing drugs to players. Tyler died as a result of the Angels’ breach of their duties.” Skaggs spent his first two MLB seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks before joining the Angeles in 2014. In his career, Skaggs posted a 28-38 record with a 4.41 ERA and 476 strikeouts.
