2 min read • February 17, 2022
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Eric Kay, the Angels' former communications director, was found guilty on two counts Thursday in relation to the overdose death of starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs.
Kay, who was just weeks removed from a drug rehab stint when he provided the fentanyl-laced pills to Skaggs in 2019, faces a minimum of 20 years in prison when he is sentenced in late June.
Testimony during the trial revealed that at least five other Angels players got pills from Kay.
The players reportedly testified that Kay would sometimes leave the pills in their lockers and the players would often snort or ingest the pills in the clubhouse.
Dr. David Chao, who spent 17 years as head team doctor for the Chargers, said the only good news for the Angels is the medical staff, athletic trainers and doctors don't seem to be involved.
"Oxycodone is a pure form of Percocet and about as strong a medication as one can prescribe," Chao said. "As an orthopedic surgeon, I never prescribed pure oxycodone and rarely prescribed Percocet, a mixed form of oxycodone."
An autopsy report presented at the trial revealed that Skaggs overdosed on a combination of oxycodone, fentanyl and alcohol.
Skaggs' mother testified during the trial that she was aware Skaggs had an "issue" with Percocet in 2013 and doctors agreed not to prescribe opioids for Skaggs after he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2014.
All professional team physicians no longer travel with strong pain-killing medication, Chao said, but players can still get access to strong painkillers through outside sources, as was the case with the Angels.
In Dec. 2019, five months after Skaggs' death, Major League Baseball and the players' union agreed to test for opioids and cocaine. At the same time, the league also stopped testing for marijuana.
Marijuana-related issues are now treated the same as alcohol, meaning mandatory evaluation, voluntary treatment and no suspensions.
In the two seasons of opioid testing, there have reportedly been no opioid-related violations.
However, Chao said opioids are only detectable in the blood stream for a short period of time, thus the lack of violations may be misleading.
Although no drug prevention method is 100%, the best defense against abuse of opioids in a team setting is for players and team staff to monitor and report any potential use, Chao said.
Unless that happens in each and every clubhouse, opioid use may continue to go undetected in pro sports.
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