Eric Kay Charged with Fentanyl Distribution in Connection to Tyler Skaggs' Death

Former Los Angeles Angels employee Eric Kay has been charged with distributing fentanyl in connection to the death of Tyler Skaggs.

Federal authorities in Texas formally charged Kay, according to court documents obtained by Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times.

"It was later determined that but for the fentanyl in [Skaggs'] system, [Skaggs] would not have died," per the affidavit in support of the complaint, via Fenno. 

The Angels issued a statement after the charges against Kay were announced:   

ESPN's T.J. Quinn reported last October that Kay told federal investigators he gave oxycodone to Skaggs and the two of them "abused it" together for years.

Quinn also noted Kay said two Angels officials "were told about Skaggs' drug use long before his death."

Angels president John Carpino issued a statement in October 2019 denying the team was ever made aware employees were providing players with illegal drugs, nor did they know any player was seeking illegal drugs.

Skaggs died on July 1, 2019, at the age of 27 when he was found unresponsive in his hotel room in Southlake, Texas where the Angels were staying while playing a series against the Texas Rangers. 

The autopsy report released on Aug. 30 revealed that Skaggs had a combination of alcohol and painkillers fentanyl and oxycodone in his system at the time of his death. 

In response to Skaggs' death, MLB and the MLB Players Association agreed in December to start testing for opioids and cocaine as part of the joint drug treatment program.