Tyler Skagg’s death shed light on one of the most unspoken truths of major sports. He was found dead in 2019 during a road trip with the Los Angeles Angels after overdosing with oxycodone and other substances.
Now, Eric Kay, a former Angels communications director, is facing trial for allegedly supplying the team with oxycodone and multiple opioids dating to late 2016 and could face up to 20 years in prison.
Moreover, former New York Mets ace Matt Harvey was called to testify as well, admitting to his own drug use and confessing to giving Skaggs pills ion more than one ocassion during his tenure in Anaheim.
Matt Harvey Admits To Drug Use, Giving Tyler Skaggs oxycodone
(Transcript via The Athletic)
“Harvey said he supplied pills to Skaggs on more than one occasion. The defense showed a text message in which Skaggs requested pills from Harvey because he wanted to be “loosey goosey” before he pitched. Harvey also said he acquired Percocet pills in April from his own drug dealer and gave some to Skaggs. He said he did so, in part, because Skaggs had previously given Harvey pills.
Harvey also acknowledged past cocaine use, and the free-agent pitcher said his use of drugs could have negatively impacted his career. On Tuesday, Harvey said he wished he had advised Skaggs against using pain medication recreationally, but viewed himself at the time as “being a good teammate” and helping him deal with pain. He said the two took pills at Angel Stadium in the clubhouse and in the dugout.”
Harvey also claimed that Kay had given him one of the pills that eventually led to Skaggs’ death and that he was ready to take it out of frustration for being injured at the time. Fortunately, he decided to take a bath and didn’t take the pill later.
Harvey May Never Pitch Again
Once an ace, Harvey’s career has taken a massive downfall over the past years. He’s now a free agent and was going to have a tough time finding another team before admitting to drug use. Now, that’ll be a nearly-impossible task:
“If Matt Harvey can find a team willing to sign him, he could immediately be suspended for at least 60 days for saying that he provided opioids to Tyler Skaggs on several occasions, a Major League Baseball official told ESPN on Wednesday,” reported T.J. Quinn of ESPN.
Hopefully, this terrible story will help raise awareness on this delicate subject around Major League Baseball and all major sports. Athletes— or anyone by any means— should have to deal with this, let alone on its own.
