Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs was found dead in his Texas hotel room on July 1, 2019.
Federal authorities in Texas have charged former Angels employee Eric Kay with giving pitcher Tyler Skaggs the fentanylthat caused his death, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Skaggs, 27, was found dead in his Southlake, Texas, hotel room on July 1, 2019, just hours before the Angels were set to face the Rangers. A toxicology report revealed the southpaw had Fentanyl and oxycodone and alcohol in his system. While under the influence of the three substances, Skaggs choked on his vomit and died. The Tarrant County medical examiner's office listed his cause of death as a mixture of "alcohol, fentanyl and oxycodone intoxication with terminal aspiration of gastric contents."
According to the Los Angeles Times, an affidavit in support of the criminal complaint against Kay said, "It was later determined that but for the fentanyl in [Skaggs'] system, [Skaggs] would not have died."
Kay worked for the Angels' media relations department for 24 years before leaving the club following Skaggs' death. In 2019, ESPN reported that Kay admitted to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration that he routinely provided Skaggs with oxycodone in recent years and abused it with him.
The Wall Street Journal reports the complaint said Kay lied to investigators at the local police department and claimed he hadn't seen Skaggs since they departed the team plane in Dallas. A DEA agent wrote that Skaggs and Kay exchanged text messages on June 30, when the left-hander asked Kay to come to his room and bring pills.
The complaint claimed Skaggs and Kay called the pills "blue" or "blue boys" and that Kay provided them to more people than just the pitcher.
"I also learned that Kay would distribute these pills to [Skaggs] and others in place of their employment and while they were working," DEA Special Agent Geoffrey Lindenberg reportedly wrote in the complaint.
The complaint also said a blue pill found in Skaggs' hotel room contained fentanyl and was marked "to resemble a legitimate prescription oxycodone tablet."
The Angels released a statement Friday afternoon and said they "hired a former federal prosecutor to conduct an independent investigation."
“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.
"As we try to heal from the loss of Tyler, we continue to work with authorities as they complete their investigation."
The Angels selected Skaggs with the 40th pick in the first round of the 2009 MLB draft. He was traded to the Diamondbacks in 2010 and made his major league debut in 2012 before being sent back to the Angels after the 2013 season. He went 28–38 with a 4.41 ERA in seven major league seasons.