Former Los Angeles Angels director of communications Eric Kay has been charged by federal authorities in Texas with distributing fentanyl related to the death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs, the Los Angeles Times reported. Skaggs died at the age of 27 in his hotel room on July 1, 2019 before the Angels were slated to play the Texas Rangers.
A medical examiner listed Skaggs’s cause of death as “alcohol, fentanyl and oxycodone intoxication with terminal aspiration of gastric contents,” which means the pitcher choked on his own vomit. An affidavit filed in Fort Worth in support of the criminal complaint against Kay said the ex-Angels employee and Skaggs had a “history of narcotic transactions” and revealed that Kay would “distribute these pills to [Skaggs] and others in their place of employment and while they were working.”
“It was later determined that but for the fentanyl in [Skaggs’] system, [he] would not have died,” the affidavit reads.
According to the Times, Kay voluntarily surrendered himself to authorities on Friday. The Angels issued a statement in response to the charge, which reads, “We learned that there was unacceptable behavior inconsistent with our code of conduct, and we took steps to address it. Our investigation also confirmed that no one in management was aware, or informed, of any employee providing opioids to any player, nor that Tyler was using opioids.”
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