Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout testified Tuesday that he was alerted to concerns about former communications director Eric Kay’s alleged drug abuse before ex-teammate Tyler Skaggs suffered a fatal overdose in 2019.
Trout, a three-time American League Most Valuable Player who hit his 400th career home run this year, took the stand in the $118million civil trial to determine whether the Angels should be held responsible for Kay giving Skaggs a fentanyl-laced pill that led to his death at the age of 27.
The Los Angeles outfielder told the courtroom about his friendship with Skaggs from the time they roomed together in a host family’s basement as rookies in Iowa and through playing for the Angels. Both were drafted out of high school as teens in 2009.
And he also claimed to have directly confronted Kay, who was convicted in 2022 of providing the pitcher with a counterfeit oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl and sentenced to 22 years in federal prison, telling him: ‘You have two boys at home and you have to get this right.’
The wrongful death lawsuit filed by Skagg’s widow, Carli, and his parents alleges that the MLB team knew or should have known that its communications director was supplying drugs to him and at least six other Angels players. They are seeking $118m after accusing the franchise of violating its own rules by allowing him to remain on staff despite the dangers his drug abuse posed.
LA Angels star Mike Trout testified in ex-teammate Tyler Skaggs’ wrongful death trial Tuesday
Skagg’s widow, Carli, filed a lawsuit accusing the Angels of responsibility for his death at 27
Trout claims he was alerted to former communications director Erik Kay’s alleged drug abuse
Trout said Kay was good at his job, getting players to give interviews and guiding them on which questions they might be asked. He added that players used him to pay for stunts like taking a fastball to the leg, shaving off his eyebrows and even eating a pimple off Trout’s back. At one point, a clubhouse attendant suggested players should stop, Trout said, because Kay might be using the money for a ‘bad purpose.’
He also claimed that he had seen Kay acting wired and sweating and ‘the first thing that came to mind was drugs.’ Trout said it was clear he was ‘using something.’
‘I just didn’t know what it was,’ Trout explained before adding that he approached Kay and told him if he needed anything to let him know. He said he also decided not to sign autographs requested by him unless he knew who they were going to out of concern they could be sold for money.
Two Angels officials, communications vice president Tim Mead and traveling secretary Tom Taylor, also testified earlier that they were unaware of Kay’s drug problem and only had indications of there being an issue with prescription medication.
Attorneys representing the Skaggs family plan to call Kay’s wife, Camela, as a witness. According to The Athletic, Camela alleges that she presented Taylor with text message evidence of her husband’s drug problem.
During his testimony, Trout also stressed that he loved Skaggs like a brother and described him as being ‘very funny, outgoing and fun to be around.’
The trial comes more than six years after he was found dead in the suburban Dallas hotel room where he was staying as the Angels were supposed to open a four-game series against the Texas Rangers. A coroner’s report says Skaggs choked to death on his vomit and that a toxic mix of alcohol, fentanyl and oxycodone was found in his system.
Kay’s federal criminal trial in Texas included testimony from five MLB players who said they received oxycodone from him at various times from 2017 to 2019, the years he was accused of obtaining pills and giving them to Angels players.
Skaggs was found dead in a Texas hotel room ahead of the Angels’ series against the Rangers
Carli, who appeared in court last week, is seeking $118m for Tyler’s lost earnings as well as compensation for pain and suffering and punitive damages against the team
The family is seeking $118m for Skaggs’ lost earnings, compensation for pain and suffering and punitive damages against the team. In addition to Trout, other players including former Angels pitcher Wade Miley, who currently plays for the Cincinnati Reds, could also testify in what is expected to be a weekslong trial in Santa Ana, California.
Skaggs had been a regular in the Angels’ starting rotation since late 2016 and struggled with injuries repeatedly during that time. He previously played for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
After his death, the MLB reached a deal with the players association to start testing for opioids and to refer those who test positive to the treatment board.
Trout said he and Skaggs played basketball together, watched football games and went for dinner. The left-handed pitcher was improving after returning from Tommy John surgery and throwing balls anywhere from the low to mid-90s in what was turning out to be a good season for him in 2019, he said.
The last time he said he saw Skaggs was in a hotel elevator in Texas after the team flew out from California.
Trout said he still misses his friend, who he called the ‘life of the party.’ His jersey, No. 45, hangs in his house, he said.
