Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs passed away on Monday just hours before a game and those trying to publicly show their condolences are outraged over some social media goers using the hashtag designed in remembrance of him for political hate.
The hashtag #RIP45 was created to show support for the left-handed pitcher, but instead some are using it to show their hate towards President Donald Trump, saying that they wished it were Trump that had died instead. Fans of Skaggs are not having it though.
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“People on Twitter disgust me. The hashtag #RIP45 is supposed to pay respect to Tyler Skaggs who passed way too soon. Instead, people are using it as a joke to say they wish it meant Donald Trump had died. Take your politics out of this, it has no place here and it’s sickening,” one fan wrote.
“#RIP45 is supposed to be used to mourn the loss of Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs. Instead people are using as a joke that [Donald Trump] has died. Has this country lost all its morals?” another added.
Another user shared their disappointment, tweeting: “If you didn’t know what #RIP45 meant before clicking on it and were putting it into relation to Trump, then please stop. I along with millions around the world just want to pay respects to Tyler Skaggs, keep the f—n political beliefs out of it. Y’all always want attention.”
The 27-year-old was found unconscious in his hotel room in Texas just hours before their game against the Texas Rangers, which would have been the first of a four-game series.
“This afternoon at 2:18 p.m. the Southlake Police Department responded to a call of an unconscious male in a room in the Hilton Hotel. Officers arrived and found the male unresponsive and he was pronounced deceased at the scene,” a spokesperson for the Southlake Police Department said.
Police do not believe any foul play is to blame or that the young MLB player committed suicide, however, the public will have to wait until Oct. 2 to find out what his cause of death was. Per the family request, they have asked that all details regarding the autopsy report remain private until it’s finalized in the fall.
Tyler’s last game was against the Oakland A’s before he unexpectedly passed away.
The Angels organization released a statement the same day of his passing, saying, “It is with great sorrow that we report Tyler Skaggs passed away earlier today in Texas. Tyler has, and always will be, an important part of the Angels family. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Carli and his entire family during this devastating time.”
Skaggs was drafted out of high school in 2009 to the Angels organization. He was then traded to the Diamondbacks a year later, to then be traded right back to the Angels shortly thereafter.
