Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs died suddenly July 1 as Los Angeles prepared to begin a three-game set against the Texas Rangers.
Eric Kay, a public relations employee for L.A. came forward and revealed he not only issued Skaggs oxycodone, but that the team knew of the 27-year-old’s drug use, as detailed by ESPN’s T.J. Quinn. An autopsy performed on Skaggs revealed he died by choking on his own vomit while fentanyl, oxycodone and alcohol were found in his system.
Kay currently is on paid leave after telling federal agents in September he told two Angels employees that Skaggs was using drugs, but neither employee did anything with the information Kay provided.
Now, the Angels could be faced with “significant sanctions” if Major League Baseball indeed can confirm the team was aware of Skaggs’ use of opioids and elected to not tell the commissioner’s office, violating the MLB’s drug policy.
The amount Los Angeles potentially could be fined was unknown, but the federal agents have been busy interviewing Matt Harvey and at least six other former and current Angels players as part of the investigation into the death of Skaggs, according to the Los Angeles Times.
