12/12/25 08:05:00
Printable Page
12/12 20:01 CST LA Angels president testifies he wishes he'd known about drug
use before pitcher's fatal overdose
LA Angels president testifies he wishes he'd known about drug use before
pitcher's fatal overdose
By AMY TAXIN
Associated Press
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) --- The president of the Los Angeles Angels baseball
team testified Friday in a wrongful death lawsuit that the fatal overdose of
pitcher Tyler Skaggs was tough for the club and he wished he had known sooner
about drug use by the player and one of the team's employees.
John Carpino, president of the Angels since 2009, made the comments during the
final moments of defense testimony in a long-running trial in California over
whether the MLB team should be held responsible for Skaggs' death. Carpino told
jurors that Skaggs and team communications director Eric Kay, who was convicted
of providing Skaggs a fentanyl-laced pill that led to his 2019 death, were both
addicts and distributed drugs too.
"Knowing what we know now, I wish we would have heard," Carpino said.
Closing arguments are scheduled for Monday in the lawsuit filed by Skaggs'
family contending the team knew or should have known Kay was addicted to drugs
and dealing to players. Angels' lawyers have argued team officials didn't know
Skaggs was taking drugs and any activity involving Skaggs and Kay happened on
their own time and in the privacy of the player's hotel room on a team trip to
Texas.
The trial, which began in October, has included testimony from players
including Angels outfielder Mike Trout, team employees, and Skaggs' widow,
Carli, and parents.
It's been six years since 27-year-old Skaggs 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 said the
left-handed pitcher choked to death on his vomit and a toxic mix of alcohol,
fentanyl and oxycodone was found in his system.
Kay was convicted in 2022 of providing Skaggs with a counterfeit oxycodone pill
laced with fentanyl and sentenced to 22 years in federal prison. His federal
criminal trial in Texas included testimony from five MLB players who said they
received oxycodone from Kay at various times from 2017 to 2019, the years he
was accused of obtaining pills and giving them to Angels players.
During the civil trial, witnesses described Kay's erratic behavior at the
stadium and incidents leading to his attending drug rehabilitation before
heading out on the trip to Texas. Kay's now-ex-wife, Camela Kay told jurors the
team failed her husband, who worked lengthy hours, and that during his 2019
hospitalization for a drug overdose, she heard he had pills intended for Skaggs.
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 Skaggs' 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.
|
