Tyler Skaggs Snorted Lines Of Oxycodone On The Night Of His Death
Tyler Skaggs snorted several lines of Oxycodone in the hours leading up to his tragic death, this according the Angels employee who supplied the prescription pills to the star pitcher.
According to a bombshell report by ESPN, Eric Kay who is the director of communication for the Anaheim Angels, told DEA investigators he was Tyler's supplier of the powerful opiate for many years.
Inside The Hotel Room
In the report, Kay allegedly told federal investigators, "he illegally obtained six oxycodone pills and gave three to Skaggs a day or two before the team left California for the road trip to Texas."
As for the fateful night, he claimed just hours before Skaggs was found dead, he visited him in the pitcher's hotel room and "Skaggs snorted three lines of crushed opioids in front of him."
He also claimed Skaggs snorted a third substance he did not recognize.
Pills Laced With Fentanyl
We broke the story, Skaggs died from a deadly combination of alcohol, fentanyl and oxycodone, along with "terminal aspiration of gastric contents."
The fentanyl is believed to have been in a laced in a street version of the prescription pills.
Angels Employee Talks To DEA
According to the report, the public relations employee the Angels told investigators he provided oxycodone to Tyler Skaggs and actually abused it with him for years.
Also, he claimed two team officials were told about Skaggs' drug abuse long before his death.
ESPN obtained Venmo receipts for many instances in which Skaggs would pay Kay for the drugs. In some cases, it was as high as $600 per purchase. The records go back several years.
Skaggs Family Reaction
At the time of his death, Skaggs family issued a statement saying, "We are heartbroken to learn that the passing of our beloved Tyler was the result of a combination of dangerous drugs and alcohol. That is completely out of character for someone who worked so hard to become a Major League baseball player and had a very promising future in the game he loved so much."
The added, "“We are grateful for the work of the detectives in the Southlake Police Department and their ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding Tyler’s death. We were shocked to learn that it may involve an employee of the Los Angeles Angels. We will not rest until we learn the truth about how Tyler came into possession of these narcotics, including who supplied them. To that end, we have hired Texas attorney Rusty Hardin to assist us."
No Arrest In The Case...
At this point, Kay has not been arrested for providing the deadly pills to Skaggs. He claimed to DEA investigators he does not believe the deadly pills came from him, partly because Skaggs would normally ingest the drugs as soon as he delivered them.
According to ESPN's report, Kay gave statements to the DEA agents in late September and is currently in substance abuse treatment, and has struggled with it for some time.
Kay is currently on leave with the team.
