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Former Angels Employee Convicted of Supplying Drugs That Killed Tyler Skaggs
Los Angeles Angels public relations employee Eric Kay is seen on left as players lay their jerseys on the pitchers mound on July 19, 2019 to honor Tyler Skaggs.
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John McCoy
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Getty Images
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A federal jury in Texas has found a former Angels baseball staffer guilty of supplying the drugs that led to the death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs.
Mr. Kay now faces between 20 years and life in federal prison. https://t.co/TMz3EREnne
— US Attorney N. Texas (@NDTXnews) February 17, 2022
Skaggs died in a Dallas hotel room in 2019, when the team was scheduled to play against the Texas Rangers. The 27-year-old had a combination of fentanyl, oxycodone, and alcohol in his system.
Federal prosecutors say Eric Kay, now 47, who served as the team's communications director, routinely gave Skaggs, and others, counterfeit prescription drugs.
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During the trial, former Angeles players Matt Harvey, C.J. Cron, Mike Morin and Cameron Bedrosian testified that Kay also "distributed blue 30 milligram oxycodone pills to them as well," according to a news release.
In that same statement, U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham called the case a "sobering reminder" that "fentanyl kills."
According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Kay was handcuffed in the courtroom and taken into custody. He is scheduled to be sentenced in June and faces at least 20 years in federal prison.
Corrected February 18, 2022 at 10:58 AM PST
An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to Skaggs in two places at the end of the story when it should have say Kay. LAist regrets the error.
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