Mlb Star Mike Trout Testifies In Lawsuit Over Overdose Death Of Teammate Tyler Skaggs

3 weeks ago

Los Angeles Angels prima Mike Trout testified Tuesday that he loved his teammate Tyler Skaggs for illustration a relative and did not spot immoderate signs of supplier usage before nan pitcher died of an overdose successful 2019.

Trout, 1 of nan top shot players of his generation, took nan guidelines successful a civilian proceedings successful California complete whether nan Angels should beryllium held responsible for their erstwhile communications director, Eric Kay, giving Skaggs a fentanyl-laced pill that led to his death.

Trout told nan courtroom astir his relationship pinch Skaggs, which started erstwhile nan Angels drafted some players retired of precocious schoolhouse arsenic teenagers successful 2009. Trout said Skaggs was “very funny, outgoing, nosy to beryllium around” and acted arsenic nan team’s DJ.

Trout besides said Kay was bully astatine his job, getting players to springiness interviews and guiding them connected which questions they mightiness beryllium asked. At 1 point, however, Trout said a clubhouse attendant suggested nan players should extremity paying Kay for stunts for illustration taking a fastball to nan leg, shaving disconnected his eyebrows and eating a pimple disconnected Trout’s back. The attendant was concerned nan money mightiness beryllium utilized for a “bad purpose.”

Trout said he had seen Kay acting wired and sweating and “the first point that came to mind was drugs”. Trout added it was clear Kay was “using something”.

“I conscionable didn’t cognize what it was,” Trout told nan court, adding he approached Kay and offered to thief him if needed. Trout was not asked whether he reported his concerns to nan team.

The grounds came astatine nan proceedings for a wrongful decease suit revenge by Skaggs’ wife, Carli, and his parents, who contend nan Angels made a bid of reckless decisions that gave Kay entree to players erstwhile he was an addict and dealing drugs. The squad has countered that Skaggs was besides drinking heavy and his actions occurred connected his ain clip and successful nan privateness of his edifice room.

The proceedings comes much than six years aft nan 27-year-old was recovered dormant successful a Dallas edifice room earlier nan Angels were owed to play nan Texas Rangers. A coroner’s study says Skaggs choked to decease connected his vomit and that a toxic operation of alcohol, fentanyl and oxycodone was recovered successful his system.

Kay was convicted successful 2022 of providing Skaggs pinch a counterfeit oxycodone pill laced pinch fentanyl and sentenced to 22 years successful national prison. His proceedings included grounds from 5 MLB players who said they received oxycodone from Kay astatine various times from 2017 to 2019, nan years he was accused of obtaining pills and giving them to Angels players.

Skaggs’s family is seeking $118m for nan pitcher’s mislaid earnings, compensation for symptom and suffering, arsenic good arsenic punitive damages against nan team.

Skaggs had been a regular successful nan Angels’ starting rotation since precocious 2016 and struggled pinch injuries many times during that time. He antecedently played for nan Arizona Diamondbacks.

After Skaggs’s death, nan MLB reached a woody pinch nan players relation to commencement testing for opioids and to mention those who trial affirmative to nan curen board.

In summation to Trout, different players including erstwhile Angels pitcher Wade Miley, who presently plays for nan Cincinnati Reds, could besides attest successful what is expected to beryllium a weekslong proceedings successful Santa Ana, California.