Former Angels Staffer Eric Kay Given 22-Year Jail Sentence in Tyler Skaggs Case

Eric Kay, former Los Angeles Angels communications director, has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in the death of Tyler Skaggs, per Gus Garcia-Roberts of the Washington Post.

The sentencing comes eight months after Kay was found guilty of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.

Skaggs, 27, was found unresponsive in his Texas hotel room during an Angels road trip on July 1, 2019.

The toxicology report from the Tarrant County medical examiner's office revealed he had fentanyl, oxycodone and alcohol in his system at the time of his death. The cause of death was listed as "alcohol, fentanyl and oxycodone intoxication with terminal aspiration of gastric contents," and his death was ruled an accident.

Amid an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Agency, ESPN's T.J. Quinn reported in October 2019 that Kay told federal investigators he provided oxycodone to Skaggs and "abused it with him for years" prior to Skaggs' death.

Kay was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2020. Former Angels players Matt Harvey, C.J. Cron, Mike Morin and Cameron Bedrosian testified at Kay's trial that he provided them with oxycodone pills and that they conducted transactions at Angel Stadium.

During Kay's trial, Skaggs' mother, Debbie Hetman, testified her son first discussed having a problem with Percocet during the 2013 season and he quit "cold turkey" at the time.

A conviction meant Kay was facing a minimum 20-year prison sentence. He spent 23 years working in the Angels organization from 1996 to 2019. The 47-year-old took over as communications director for the team in May 2013.

Per Garcia-Roberts, Judge Terry Means said in court "he felt mandatory minimums were 'excessive.'" However, Means believed that going above the minimum sentence was necessary because of remarks Kay made in prison in which he demonstrated a "refusal to accept responsibility and even be remorseful for something [he] caused." In a recording played in the courtroom, Kay said of Skaggs, "I hope people realize what a piece of s--t he was. … Well he's dead, so f--k him," per Garcia-Roberts.

Skaggs was the No. 40 overall pick by the Angels in the 2009 MLB draft. He was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in July 2010 as part of the package for Dan Haren. The southpaw made his big league debut with the D-backs in August 2012.

The Angels reacquired Skaggs as part of a three-team trade in December 2013. He made 83 starts for Los Angeles between 2014 and 2019. The California native appeared in 96 games over the course of his seven-year MLB career.