Eric Kay

Eric Kay had been convicted in February of contributing to the death of the pitcher Tyler Skaggs by providing him with opioids.

A medical examiner and several toxicologists testified that it was the fentanyl in Skaggs’s system that led to his death. He and others portrayed Kay as a team employee who was known for being able to get players the drugs they sought, even as he dealt with his own addiction to pills. The trial, which had played out over two weeks in February, explored drug use among Major League Baseball players, several of whom, when testifying, admitted to acquiring opioids through Kay. The real issue in this case is holding accountable the people who are distributing the deadly drug fentanyl. “We are very grateful to everyone who worked so hard to investigate and prosecute Eric Kay,” the statement said. There was also no visible reaction from Skaggs’s widow and his mother or members of Kay’s family.

Eric Kay, the former Angels communications director who was found guilty in February of providing the drugs that killed pitcher Tyler Skaggs in 2019, ...

“And to hold someone else accountable for that is a great injustice.” An Angels spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday that “our compassion goes out to the Skaggs family on this difficult day.” Wynn and say, ‘Hey, you got this?’ And throughout the course of our representation, he apparently doesn’t like texts, because he never really got back to me.” “Eric Kay knew that the drugs he was giving to my son and other players [were] laced with fentanyl,” said Skaggs’s mother, Debbie, adding that “a strict sentence … Kay’s middle child, 20-year-old Carter, said during the sentencing hearing that his father “wouldn’t do something bad willingly” and urged the judge to be lenient. “The real issue in this case is holding accountable the people who are distributing the deadly drug fentanyl.” In a May hearing in Kay’s case, his other attorney at the time, Michael Molfetta, appeared to blame Wynn for having left Kay without representation during a meeting with probation officials before his sentencing. Kay’s attorney, Cody Cofer, said his client’s jailhouse remarks reflected the resentment of a man coming to terms with being separated from his family for two decades. “I know no matter how much time Eric Kay gets it won’t bring back Tyler,” Skaggs’s father, Darrell, said in a statement read in court by Tyler’s aunt. “I would text Mr. Kay has indicated he will appeal his conviction. In emails and phone calls, Kay referred to the “trash-ass Skaggs family,” derided the jurors as “rednecks” with missing teeth and referred to a federal prosecutor’s “horrible makeup.” Martin also noted that Kay was allegedly caught with suboxone while in jail.

The 27-year-old pitcher was found dead in his hotel room in Southlake, Texas on July 1, 2019 with traces of fentanyl, oxycodone, and alcohol in his system. Kay ...

Cron](/mlb/players/1894603/c-j-cron/), [Mike Morin](/mlb/players/2050371/mike-morin/), and [Cam Bedrosian](/mlb/players/1757977/cam-bedrosian/). Kay was [found guilty in February](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/former-angels-employee-eric-kay-found-guilty-in-trial-over-drug-related-death-of-tyler-skaggs/) for the distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. These players included [Matt Harvey](/mlb/players/1765811/matt-harvey/), [C.J.

Kay was facing a minimum sentence of 20 years after being convicted earlier this year of distributing the opioids that resulted in Skaggs' overdose.

A toxicology report later revealed that [he had both fentanyl and oxycodone in his system at the time of his death](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/angels/2019/08/30/tyler-skaggs-death-opioids-alcohol-toxicology-angels/2167436001/), which was ruled an accident. He later called Skaggs "a sweetheart," [according to the newspaper](https://twitter.com/nathanfenno/status/1579936593028485120). [The Los Angeles Times reported](https://twitter.com/nathanfenno/status/1579932754829266945) that Kay apologized in court for the remarks, chalking them up to "frustration" and "vitriol." "That’s why our office is committed to holding to account anyone who deals in illicit opioids, whether they operate in back alleyways or world class stadiums." Cron – testified at Kay's trial in February that the former team communications director had also provided them with pills, including at Angel Stadium. [convicted Kay after less than 90 minutes of deliberations](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/angels/2022/02/17/tyler-skaggs-eric-kay-verdict-guilty/6832964001/). "Well, he's dead, so (expletive) him." (The Skaggs family He received two additional years of prison time after prosecutors revealed disparaging comments Kay made about Skaggs in recent months while awaiting sentencing. [ sued Kay and the Angeles for negligence in 2021](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/angels/2021/06/29/tyler-skaggs-death-los-angeles-angels-family-sues-eric-kay/7798577002/).) [the 2019 death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/angels/2019/07/02/tyler-skaggs-death-angels-pitcher/1626261001/). [being convicted earlier this year of distributing the fentanyl-laced opioids that resulted in Skaggs' overdose](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/angels/2022/02/17/tyler-skaggs-eric-kay-verdict-guilty/6832964001/).