Los Angeles Angels star outfielder Mike Trout, testifying on Tuesday in the civil trial brought by the family of late pitcher Tyler Skaggs, accusing the club of wrongful death, said he knew that then-team communications director Eric Kay had a drug problem.
The family filed a $118 million lawsuit, asserting that the organization knew of Kay’s drug abuse, which it alleges contributed to Skaggs dying of an accidental overdose in 2019 at age 27.
An emotional Trout, who roomed with Skaggs throughout their shared time in the minors and majors with the Angels’ organization, was the first player to take the stand. Under questioning from plaintiffs attorney Shawn Holley, Trout testified that a team employee alerted him to drug abuse by Kay prior to Skaggs’ death in a Texas hotel room.
The family contends that Angels employees were aware of Kay’s drug abuse yet kept him on the staff.
Former team officials Tim Mead and Tom Taylor previously testified that they were unaware of Kay’s drug abuse, but Kay’s wife refuted that assertion with text messages that were presented in court.
ESPN reported in October 2019 that federal investigators were informed that team officials were aware of Skaggs’ drug use and that Kay was selling drugs to him and other players.
Kay, the team’s former communications director, “earned” money from Angels players by performing bizarre stunts, like taking a fastball to his leg or shaving off an eyebrow, Trout testified.
Trout said that Kay’s behavior and warnings from Angels clubhouse attendant Kris Constanti led him to believe Kay was “using something,” but he “didn’t know what it was.”
Trout ceased any payments he made to Kay for autographed baseballs or other items. He added that he intervened with Kay once he was convinced of the abuse, testifying that he told him, “‘You have two boys at home … and you have to get this right.'”
In her opening statement last week, Holley stated the Angels put Skaggs “directly in harm’s way” by not terminating him due to his bizarre behavior.
Angels attorney Todd Theodora asserted that Kay was not acting within the area of his job description when he provided drugs to Skaggs.
Kay was convicted in 2022 of providing Skaggs with fentanyl-laced oxycodone that led to the pitcher’s death. He is in a federal prison serving a 22-year sentence.
