Introduction to the Case
Los Angeles Angels’ officials were warned that communications staffer Eric Kay was providing illicit pills to Tyler Skaggs weeks before the pitcher’s death, according to testimony on Monday, Oct. 27 from Kay’s ex-wife, who also described a culture of rampant drug use on team road trips.
Camela Kay testified during Skaggs’ wrongful death trial that Angels’ officials were aware of her ex-husband’s years-long struggle with opioid addiction and ignored evidence that he had provided Skaggs and other players with illicit pills. Kay’s drug issues were further tested by “partying” that went on while the team was traveling on the “team plane,” the ex-wife testified.
Drug Use on Team Road Trips
“They are treated like kings,” Camela Kay said. “They are gambling, they are drinking, they are partying.”
“I had seen them passing out pills and drinking alcohol excessively,” she added of her time traveling on a team flight.
“When you said you observed ‘them,’ who is ‘them?’” Skaggs’ family attorney Leah Gibson asked.
“Players, clubbies,” Kay said, referencing clubhouse attendants.
“Did you know what they were passing out?”
“Xanax, Percocets”
Awareness of Eric Kay’s Drug Problems
Former Angels’ Vice President Tim Mead — Eric Kay’s longtime boss — and Traveling Secretary Tom Taylor — a longtime friend and coworker of Kay — previously denied being aware that Kay was addicted to illicit pills. They testified to believing that his sometimes-erratic behavior was related to mental health issues and problems with prescribed medication.
Kay previously was convicted of providing Skaggs with a counterfeit pill containing fentanyl that the pitcher ingested along with oxycodone and alcohol, leading to his July 2019 death in a Texas hotel room at the start of a road trip for the Angels. Skaggs’ family, in the ongoing civil lawsuit, allege the Angels knew, or should have known, about Kay distributing drugs to players.
Camela Kay’s Testimony
Camela Kay said she first learned of her husband’s substance abuse issues in 2013, when Mead and Taylor brought him back to a team hotel after he had what appeared to be an anxiety attack in a press box at Yankee Stadium. She recalled her husband admitting, in front of Mead and Taylor, to taking five Vicodin a day.
“I think they were surprised just as much as I was,” she said of Taylor and Mead’s reaction. Both men, in their own testimony, denied being part of that conversation.
Intervention and Ignored Warnings
The family held an intervention for Kay in October 2017. His wife said he had grown increasingly erratic and disruptive. When he was using, Eric Kay would sweat profusely and randomly “blurt out” statements, she said. The family intervention didn’t go well, the wife testified, and she called Mead and Taylor over to their house the next day to try to talk him into rehab.
“All of a sudden I see Tim (Mead) walk out of our bedroom with baggies of pills,” said Camela Kay, describing six or seven baggies with what appeared to be a half-dozen pills each.
Culture of Drug Use and Neglect
The wife said she couldn’t get an answer from her husband about why he had the pills in baggies, hidden in shoes. But she had her suspicions.
“Knowing Eric and his job, his being in the club house with the players, my guess was that he was supplying them,” Camela Kay testified.
“I believe he was selling to make extra money,” she added.
Eric Kay looked at Mead as a “father figure” who was “always looking out for him,” Camela Kay testified. But the ex-wife said that after the intervention and the alleged discovery of the pills, Mead didn’t press Eric Kay to take time off for rehab. Mead testified that he didn’t recall details of the morning when Camela Kay described finding the pills, while Taylor denied that it happened.
Aftermath and Trial
Camela Kay texted repeatedly with Mead about her husband’s condition throughout 2018 and early 2019, according to evidence presented during the trial. She described being suspicious that he was going to work while high on opioids
“Did you ever think ‘Today is the day he will get fired?’” Gibson asked.
“Yes,” Camela Kay answered.
“Did he ever get fired?
“No”
Conclusion
The case of Eric Kay and the Los Angeles Angels highlights a deeper issue of drug use and neglect within professional sports teams. The testimony of Camela Kay reveals a culture of rampant drug use on team road trips and a lack of action from team officials to address the issue. The trial will continue to uncover the truth behind Tyler Skaggs’ death and the role of the Angels in enabling Eric Kay’s drug problems.
FAQs
Q: What was the nature of Eric Kay’s job with the Los Angeles Angels?
A: Eric Kay was a communications staffer for the Los Angeles Angels.
Q: What did Camela Kay testify about her ex-husband’s behavior?
A: Camela Kay testified that her ex-husband had a years-long struggle with opioid addiction and that he provided illicit pills to Tyler Skaggs and other players.
Q: What was the response of Angels’ officials to Eric Kay’s drug problems?
A: Angels’ officials, including Tim Mead and Tom Taylor, denied being aware of Eric Kay’s drug problems and testified that they believed his behavior was related to mental health issues and problems with prescribed medication.
Q: What is the current status of the trial?
A: The trial is ongoing, with Camela Kay scheduled to return to the stand for further questioning by the Angels’ attorney.
