Angels star Mike Trout: Eric Kay had a drug problem and Tyler Skaggs was a valued friend
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Superstar Mike Trout testified Tuesday about two of his closest pals on the Angels, pitcher Tyler Skaggs and communications director Eric Kay. Trout said that Skaggs showed no signs of drug use but that he knew Kay had a drug problem.
Trout, a three-time American League most valuable player, has been with the Angels his entire 15-year career and is under contract through 2030. He was a teammate of Skaggs from 2014-19, when the left-handed pitcher died in a Texas hotel room July 1, 2019, after snorting a counterfeit oxycodone pill that contained fentanyl, a powerful opioid.
Kay was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison after being convicted in 2022 of providing the pills that led to the Skaggs’ overdose.
According to trial transcripts, Skaggs lawyer Bill Haggerty asked Trout about his reaction when he learned the next day in a team meeting that “your teammate and buddy you’ve known since 2009 was dead. What did you do?”
“Cried,” Trout answered.
Haggerty: “You broke down crying? Why?”
Trout: “Because I loved him.”
Haggerty: “Loved him like a brother?”
Trout: “Yeah.”
Trout added that he was unaware of any drug use by Skaggs.
A one-day settlement conference held between lawyers for the Angels and the family of deceased pitcher Tyler Skaggs went nowhere. A trial with millions on the line begins.
Haggerty asked Trout questions that helped establish Skaggs was a valued teammate and friend. Trout said he and Skaggs were roommates housed in the well-appointed basement of a host family in 2010 when both were 18 years old and playing for the Angels’ affiliate in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Trout, the highest-paid Angels employee making more than $37 million a year, attended Skaggs’ wedding in 2018.
Near the end of Trout’s testimony, Haggerty asked him what pops into his head when someone says Tyler Skaggs.
“Unbelievable guy, fun to be around, life of the party, yeah,” Trout replied.
Haggerty and Angels attorney Todd Theodora did not ask Trout why he didn’t inform a team executive or human resources when he suspected Kay’s drug use.
Eric Kay, the Angels’ former communications director, has pleaded not guilty to federal charges in Tyler Skaggs’ death.
Skaggs was found dead in a Southlake, Texas, hotel room July 1, 2019, before the Angels were scheduled to start a series against the Texas Rangers. The Tarrant County medical examiner found that in addition to the opioids, Skaggs had a blood-alcohol level of 0.12. The autopsy determined he died from asphyxia after aspirating on his own vomit, and that his death was accidental.
Trout’s testimony followed that of longtime Angels executives Tim Mead and Tom Taylor. Kay reported to Mead nearly his entire 23-year career and worked closely with Taylor, the team’s traveling secretary. Both men testified that they had no idea Kay was addicted to opioids or that Kay supplied Skaggs with drugs.
Trout, however, said “the first thing that came to mind was drugs” when clubhouse attendant Kris Constanti asked Trout to curtail paying Kay “to do crazy stuff in the clubhouse” because he thought the money was “going for some bad purpose.”
Trout said he thought it over and approached Kay, who had been exhibiting bizarre behavior and signs of intoxication.
“I just said, ‘Hey, you’ve got two boys at home. You’ve got to get this right,’” Trout testified.
Trout said he couldn’t recall telling Kay he’d pay for rehabiliation, but rather told Kay, “If you need anything, let me know.”
Skaggs’ widow, Carli Skaggs, and parents, Debra Hetman and Darrell Skaggs, are seeking $118 million from the Angels for Skaggs’ lost future earnings as well as compensation for pain and anguish, and punitive damages.
The Angels’ announcement that longtime former big league catcher Kurt Suzuki was hired as manager coincided with Trout’s testimony.
