Ex-Angels employee indicted in Skaggs' death

Send a link to a friend  Share

[October 17, 2020]    A former Los Angeles Angels employee was indicted in the 2019 overdose death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs.

Los Angeles Angles player Tyler Skaggs is remembered during a moment of silence prior to the 2019 MLB All Star Game at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Eric Kay, who worked in the team's media relations department for 24 years, is charged in the indictment with distributing the drug fentanyl that caused Skaggs' death. A federal grand jury in Texas, where Skaggs died, returned the indictment, which was filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Fort Worth.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration filed a criminal complaint against Kay in August, charging him with illegal possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. He was arrested that month but has yet to enter a plea.

Skaggs was 27 when he died July 1, 2019, in his hotel room in Southlake, Texas. The Angels were in town to play the Texas Rangers, and an autopsy later showed he died of aspiration and had a combination of oxycodone, fentanyl and alcohol in his system.

Skaggs pitched seven seasons in the major leagues, the first two with the Arizona Diamondbacks (2012-13) and the rest with the Angels (2014, 2016-19). The left-hander had a career record of 28-38 with a 4.41 ERA in 96 starts.

--Field Level Media

[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.

 

Back to top