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Defense in Tyler Skaggs case claims Matt Harvey could have provided former Angels pitcher drugs before overdose

Tyler Skaggs case, Matt Harvey
Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

The death of former Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs back in July of 2019 while the team was visiting the Rangers in Texas shocked an unsuspecting baseball world.

Skaggs was only 27 at the time. It has since been noted that he overdosed on a mix of alcohol and the drugs, fentanyl and oxycodone.

Tuesday marked the start of a trail alleging that former Angels director of communications Eric Kay provided Skaggs with the drugs that contributed to his tragic passing.

We now have more information on this courtesy of ESPN investigative reporter T.J. Quinn. In the opening statement, Kay’s attorney claims that former Angels pitcher Matt Harvey could be named as a possible drug source for Tyler Skaggs.

Quinn goes on to report that the government claims Kay was providing opioids to multiple players, who are expected to be named during the trial.

Per Jeff Fletcher of the OC Register, those players are Garrett Richards, C.J. Cron, Andrew Heaney, Blaker Parker, Mike Morin, Cam Bedrosian and the aforementioned Matt Harvey.

Tyler Skaggs’ case could end up being a major black eye for MLB

tyler skaggs case, matt harvey
Jul 17, 2019; Anaheim, CA, USA; Detailed view of a memorial for Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs on the outfield wall at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Skaggs, 27, died at a hotel in Southlake, Texas, July 1, 2019, where he was found unresponsive prior to a game against the Texas Rangers. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

It was back in October of 2019 that we reported the Angels knew of Skaggs drug use long before he was found dead in a Texas-based hotel room ahead of Los Angeles’ series against the Rangers in Arlington.

The inclusion of seven former Angels players in this case is going to end up rocking both the organization and Major League Baseball as a whole. There’s also suggestions that Kay supplied other MLB players with illicit drugs in addition to Tyler Skaggs.

As for Kay, he overdosed at Angel Stadium months before Skaggs’ death in July of 2019. The shocking thing here is that Kay still had an ability to distribute oxycodone to players after that.

It was back in October of 2020 that Kay was initially charged with conspiracy to distribute and received an additional charge for distributing the fentanyl that resulted in Skaggs’ death.

With Major League Baseball in a lockout, imposed by MLB owners, this story w/o; be the focus of baseball coverage for weeks.

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