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Eric Kay Convicted Of Drug Distribution Resulting In Death Of Tyler Skaggs

By Anthony Franco | February 17, 2022 at 3:47pm CDT

A Fort Worth jury has convicted former Angels communications director Eric Kay on charges of distributing fentanyl resulting in the death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs. Kay was also convicted on a charge of conspiracy with intent to distribute controlled substances (via T.J. Quinn of ESPN and Sam Blum of the Athletic).

Skaggs passed away on July 1, 2019 after a drug overdose. The jury determined beyond a reasonable doubt that Kay was responsible for supplying Skaggs with the drugs that led to his death, as well as that the distribution occurred in Texas (where the Angels were playing a road series against the Rangers).

Throughout the trial, five more former Angels players (C.J. Cron, Matt Harvey, Mike Morin, Cam Bedrosian and Blake Parker) testified they’d received opiates from Kay during their time in Anaheim. Harvey admitted he’d also supplied Percocet pills to Skaggs — for which he’s reportedly facing possible suspension by MLB — but the jury found that Kay had given Skaggs the drugs that resulted in his death.

Kay will return to court for sentencing on June 28. He faces a minimum of twenty years in prison.

 

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View Comments (126)

Comments

  1. thelegendaryharambe

    12 months ago

    Big oof

    Reply
  2. GoRav114

    12 months ago

    20 years minimum seems like a lot. He didn’t force anyone to take them. He should be punished, I just think its harsh

    Reply
    • Mikehoncho69

      12 months ago

      Another point too is I highly doubt Kay knew there was fentanyl in the pills. Ultimately Skaggs made the decision so let’s not take away all blame from Skaggs as he would still be here if he weren’t an addict.

      Reply
      • For Love of the Game

        12 months ago

        To update your comment to 2022 woke terminology, “…if he didn’t suffer from substance abuse disorder.” Eyeroll.

        Reply
        • king joffrey

          12 months ago

          What in the world does a young man’s death and the pursuant criminal prosecution have to with ‘woke terminology’?

        • SalaryCapMyth

          12 months ago

          @King. He’s just putting in his hours as a culture warrior.

        • disqus_g3cAw8QJKq

          12 months ago

          Tell the truth. You are Nancy Reagan using a pseudonym to post right?

        • mfm4200

          12 months ago

          well, he was a republican christian, so naturally, you types have to sugarcoat everything.

          say, how did pretending the drug crisis was a liberal only problem?

          oh yeah, the same way pretending covid only hit blue states did.

        • Cosmo2

          12 months ago

          Straw man. No one has pretended such things.

        • frankiegxiii

          12 months ago

          I feel like there are multiple words missing from these two points you are trying to make.

      • atlbraves2010

        12 months ago

        mike, if he didn’t know what was in the pills why the heck did he give them? To me, that’s almost worse

        Reply
        • Mikehoncho69

          12 months ago

          My guess would be he thought he was giving him what he always gave him.

        • atlbraves2010

          12 months ago

          Again, if it doesn’t come from a pharmacy, ordered by a physician, don’t give it. As a nurse, if I don’t follow protocol to the letter when giving a medication I am personally liable for the outcome.

        • SpendNuttinWinNuttin

          12 months ago

          @atlbraves yeah because every drug dealer goes to their local pharmacy to get their product… It’s impossible to be that brain dead.

      • 4thefences

        12 months ago

        I’ve been a Paramedic for 34 years. The last 3 years I have seen more OD’s and several of them fatal, than I did the previous 31 years. Fentanyl laced Oxy is deadly and I’ve seen patients in respiratory arrest with just taking 1/2 a tablet.

        Reply
    • atlbraves2010

      12 months ago

      fentanyl is such a dangerous drug, and so easy to overdose on, in my professional opinion, it borders on irresponsible prescribing to prescribe more than a few days worth at a time. something tells me Skaggs pain did not indicate a need for something as potent as fentanyl, and if it did, why not a super slow release patch?
      this whole thing is heartbreaking, but so is the entirety of our current opioid epidemic

      Reply
      • @toofpick78

        12 months ago

        The pills were most likely laced. They can make a pill with fentanyl look like any other pill using a pill press. Most people aren’t out looking for fentanyl specifically. They think they’re taking Xanax or Oxys or whatever they paid for.

        Reply
        • disqus_g3cAw8QJKq

          12 months ago

          That’s the only way he got it. Fentanyl is not added to any other opiod medication by the manufacturers, if they are legit. It does come in tablet form but I haven’t seen that used much if at all. Also comes in patch form which addicts eat or leach it out of. Commonly used for anesthesia. When providers divert anesthesia medications that’s the on they often go for.

      • 4thefences

        12 months ago

        I’ve been a Paramedic for 34 years. The last 3 years I have seen more OD’s and several of them fatal, than I did the previous 31 years. Fentanyl laced Oxy is deadly and I’ve seen patients in respiratory arrest with just taking 1/2 a tablet.

        Reply
        • YankeesBleacherCreature

          12 months ago

          It could be one 1/16th of a tablet as well. All it takes is someone with untrained, careless hands cutting up the fent to make a mistake, Then a bunch of people OD or die.

      • phillyphilly4133

        12 months ago

        Fentanyl, if prescribed, is 99.9% time in a patch. There are other oral formulations that are reserved for end of life scenarios.

        I’m not sure fentanyl even comes in a tablet form.

        The fentanyl on the streets is mixed into other drugs. A kilo of heroin can be stretched out into multiple kilos by adding fillers like baking soda, etc and just a tiny bit of fentanyl.

        Reply
      • mfm4200

        12 months ago

        dude took 6 pills and mixed it with booze.

        doesn’t matter if they were laced or not.

        only folks who do that are drug addicts.

        he was one, didn’t want to admit, paid the price for being so stupid.

        Reply
    • Halo11Fan

      12 months ago

      Don’t sell drugs. Twenty years is not enough.

      I have no sympathy for pushers.

      Reply
      • jabronieramone

        12 months ago

        He wasn’t a pusher. They shared drugs. Skaggs paid and Kay bought them for him. Feel free to read the many articles and listen to ESPN Daily where the entire thing is broken down and why the LA DEA didn’t file charges.

        Reply
        • Randy Watson

          12 months ago

          Why would the LA DEA file charges? Skaggs death happened in Texas.

        • phillyphilly4133

          12 months ago

          He was also selling in LA.

      • Gothamcityriddler

        12 months ago

        @halo
        “Pushers”? What year do you think this is? How bout life in front of a firing squad, would that suffice? Ahahahahaha!

        Reply
        • Cosmo2

          12 months ago

          Heh, that’s what I thought. “Pusher”? What is this, 1983?

      • mfm4200

        12 months ago

        and i have none for rich drug addicts like tyler.

        dude could have used weed instead (legal in cali and mlb) chose to be a pill head like so many born agains.

        and like them, killed himself in such a stupid way.

        Reply
        • Dunedin020306

          12 months ago

          mfm4200 – ” chose to be a pill head like so many born agains”.

          As a certified death investigator, I have to say that comment is one of the most laughably ignorant comments I have ever read on this site and has no basis in truth. What is wrong with you?

    • Redwood13

      12 months ago

      Good behavior will be out in 8 to 9 years what is your life worth? not harsh enough said

      Reply
      • Cosmo2

        12 months ago

        8 years in prison is hell. He supplied his friend with a drug he wanted, he didn’t commit murder. Some folks around here seem pretty comfortable locking up a percentage of the population. Don’t think that’s a solution.

        Reply
        • DarkSide830

          12 months ago

          are you crazy? would you push your friend in front of an oncoming train if they wanted it? this isnt much different.

    • Hippyripper

      12 months ago

      It amounts to negligent man slaughter basically? Similar to if a night club knows someone is clearly wasted and let’s them drink themselves to death anyways? Idk hard thing all around? I hate the overall outcome. Someone died, and another is going away for 20 years? Isn’t there a solution? If there was my two brothers would still be here as well?

      RIP Tyler Skaggs, no amount of time brings you back? The only thing that keeps something like this from happening in the future is policy change?

      Reply
      • DarkSide830

        12 months ago

        Kay is going to jail because of the policy. While jail time is supposed to be rehabilitating, the law is very clearly supposed to discourage people from doing this.

        Reply
  3. Thesecondjamie

    12 months ago

    Sounds like he has bigger problems to worry about than getting suspended from MLB

    Reply
    • mynameisbobsaget

      12 months ago

      In the original article, Harvey was given immunity from prosecution.

      Reply
      • jabronieramone

        12 months ago

        How did the jury know it wasn’t the drugs Harvey gave him that killed him? Kay’s defense team should have put him on the stand. The power dynamic between players and PR guys is vast. They are expected to fill the players every whim.

        Reply
        • NuckBobFutting

          12 months ago

          His autopsy reported fentanyl, oxycodone and alcohol. Harvey gave him percs which weren’t in his system.

        • xBraveNewWorldx

          12 months ago

          Lol – “percs” is a brand name of….. oxycodone. You wouldn’t find “percs” in your system anymore then you would find “Tylenol” in your system.

  4. jimmertee

    12 months ago

    This has been going on for years in professional sport. Don’t kid yourself. Someone finally died and the dealers got caught. There has to be more to this than these players and one team.

    Reply
    • sn0048

      12 months ago

      We don’t know the half of what goes on and how widespread, I’m sure – particularly in industries where so much money is on the line.

      Reply
      • iverbure

        12 months ago

        Finally something I agree with jimmertree on. Roy Halladay crashed was a direct result from his addiction to pain killers from pitching for years with pain in his shoulder.

        They ought to be testing for pain killers instead of PEDs.

        Reply
        • JoeBrady

          12 months ago

          Halladay’s blood contained morphine, hydromorphone, amphetamine, fluoxetine (an antidepressant), baclofen (a muscle relaxant), and zolpidem (a sleep aid sold under the brand name Ambien).
          ======================================
          That feels like a whole lot more than a pain killer.

    • YankeesBleacherCreature

      12 months ago

      It’s not only limited to pro sports. Every big commercial fitness gym (yes, even in your area) has someone pushing elicit goods to the regulars if you look hard enough. It’s part of the culture whether we like it or not.

      Reply
    • phillyphilly4133

      12 months ago

      Playing with an opioid addiction has to be way harder than using stimulants. There are no benefits.

      Reply
  5. prov356

    12 months ago

    He deserves the 20 years. Skaggs chose to take the drugs and he suffered the consequences. Now it’s Kay’s turn.

    Reply
    • Halo11Fan

      12 months ago

      Prov, I completely agree.

      Reply
    • Hippyripper

      12 months ago

      If it wasn’t Tyler Skaggs would he be doing 20 years? The police turn a blind eye to dealers in the city, the ones who sold my brothers the FET that killed them are still out there?

      Reply
      • mfm4200

        12 months ago

        no, he wouldn’t.

        as long as the dead person is rich, born again, and/or famous, cops care.

        otherwise, they don’t.

        ever notice how the cops only seem to bust dealers on this when the types of people i mentioned above die like this?

        but that’s standard operation for the entire war on drugs (why do you think republicans and christians care about folks like tyler now? oh yeah, cause it turns out, the dead aren’t black liberal atheists, but white republican christians, oops).

        Reply
        • Cosmo2

          12 months ago

          That’s like the third time you’ve worked “born again” into a post. What is this obsession you have with such conflation?

        • Dunedin020306

          12 months ago

          mfm4200 – “as long as the dead person is rich, born again, and/or famous, cops care….. but that’s standard operation for the entire war on drugs (why do you think republicans and christians care about folks like tyler now? oh yeah, cause it turns out, the dead aren’t black liberal atheists, but white republican christians, oops).”.

          Your continual spouting of emotion-driven, hate-filled racist and anti-Christian bias shows you apparently lack objectivity and are clearly unable to engage in a rational conversation that isn’t dictated by your emotions. Why have you chosen to be irrationally hateful against certain socioeconomic groups and born-again Christians? Hatred is a poison that destroys us from within, producing bitterness that eats away at our hearts and minds. This is why the Scriptures tell us not to let a “root of bitterness” spring up in our hearts (Hebrews 12:15).

        • Dunedin020306

          12 months ago

          Cosmo2 – Amen! It seems mfm4200 has a bitter and hate-filled soul.

        • prov356

          12 months ago

          Amen Dune.

        • The Saber-toothed Superfife

          12 months ago

          Really?
          This thread is disgusting. So.. the purpose of your mouth is to do what offend people? Make people angry?

          Are you a white guy trying to stir up the sht? Or Chinese?
          I know of no black man that would say this kind of stuff?
          RU you Irish or something?

        • prov356

          12 months ago

          I have no idea what this post means Saber, or who it’s too.

  6. LordD99

    12 months ago

    Seems like he had many suppliers.

    Reply
    • Pickles McGee

      12 months ago

      He did. Matt Harvey admitted he was one of those suppliers in the past and he also admitted Skaggs had other suppliers beside the team’s PR flack Kay.

      Reply
  7. Not impressed

    12 months ago

    Reasonable doubt? The jury just wanted to punish someone.

    There’s no way that story didn’t have tractor trailer size holes.

    Reply
    • Jim Carter

      12 months ago

      He wasn’t convicted based on a story. Do you have the trial transcript? If not, you are the obvious hole.

      Reply
  8. StupendousYappi

    12 months ago

    Just out of curiosity why was matt harvey granted immunity? You can’t lie to the court anyway so why did they let him off the hook? I dont understand it at all. I’m sorry but the actions of all these people is just despicable.

    Reply
    • Dustyslambchops23

      12 months ago

      Giving immunity to be a corroborating witness is pretty standard. They can force him to take the stand but they can’t force him to talk.

      Also, we don’t know what evidence they had to get Kay to trial with out his testimony.

      Reply
    • Halo11Fan

      12 months ago

      He could always take the 5th, if you are granted immunity, you waive your 5th amendment rights.

      Reply
    • thelegendaryharambe

      12 months ago

      You can’t lie to the court but you can plead the fifth and Harvey most certainly would have if they hadn’t granted him immunity. They granted him immunity because Eric Kay was the one they were really after.

      Reply
    • phillyphilly4133

      12 months ago

      He was a key witness and he was proven not to be the responsible party. His testimony was needed to put Kay away. Their case may have been a little weaker.

      Harvey career is now over. He leaves the game in embarrassment.

      Reply
  9. Pickles McGee

    12 months ago

    So Matt Harvey, who had also supplied Skaggs in the past and who revealed that Skaggs had different suppliers, gets immunity from prosecution while they crush the little guy. Texas style. Skaggs was a low level addict who couldn’t get his pills from doctor so he needed to buy on the street. Buyer beware, caveat emptor, should apply but not for Skaggs because he’s a handsome pro athlete. Make the fat PR guy, the flack, the villian, the only man responsible.

    Kay didn’t know the counterfeit pills were laced with fentanyl so I certainly hope that factors heavily into his sentencing. But I doubt it. It’s theater. The family hugged and cried as the verdict was read. Give me a break.

    Reply
    • Dustyslambchops23

      12 months ago

      Just so we’re clear here, the prosecution believed and proved that the pills that killed Skaggs came from Kay not Harvey.

      The most they could have got Harvey for was drug charges, if you were Skaggs family would you be satisfied with someone giving your son poison and no one being held responsible?

      Most street pills have some fentanyl in it, so why would that weigh in to his sentencing?

      Reply
      • Pickles McGee

        12 months ago

        My point is that all these low level addicts are playing the same game. Prescription oxycodone itself kills especially when mixed with alcohol. Street level stuff just ups the ante. A different day it could have been Harvey’s stuff that killed him. Theoretically it could partly have been some he had before and this just added to it.

        The need for the parents to shift blame from their own son’s weakness and stupidity to that of the low man on the totem pole, the team’s PR flack, is kind of pathetic. To hang a manslaughter charge on Kay is overreach to me.

        Reply
    • prov356

      12 months ago

      Pickles -“Kay didn’t know the counterfeit pills were laced with fentanyl…”

      How in the world do you know that?

      Reply
      • thelegendaryharambe

        12 months ago

        @prov356 Because Kay is the defendant here he wouldn’t need to prove that he didn’t know the pills were laced with fentanyl. The prosecution would have to prove that he did.

        Reply
        • Dustyslambchops23

          12 months ago

          That’s not necessarily true. While you have to prove intent and knowledge for let’s say murder 1, you wouldn’t need to prove intent/knowledge of fentanyl for this charge.

          Prosecution needed to prove 2 things only 1. That Kay sold him the hot drugs and 2. Those drugs lead to his death.

          Whether or not Kay knew that they were counterfeit, potentially deadly drugs is completely irrelevant to his charge and conviction.

        • prov356

          12 months ago

          harambe – That wasn’t my point. But you’re right, the burden of proof is always on the prosecution. The fact that the pills contained fentanyl is somewhat irrelevant in the sense that he could have died from any drug taken in excess. The prosecution only has to prove that the drugs that killed Skaggs, whatever it was, were directly sourced from Kay. The fact that it was fentanyl is evidence, but it would be the same if it was crack, heroin, cocaine, meth, etc. Kay knew he was providing Skaggs with drugs. A reasonable person knows that when you serve drugs to an addict, they could overdose. In this case, that drug was fentanyl. So the prosecution really doesn’t have to prove that Kay knew the exact contents of the pills, just that they came from Kay and they killed Skaggs.

          Getting back to my point, pickles made a statement that Kay didn’t know the pills contained fentanyl. That was a definitive statement so I wanted to know how he knew that.

        • thelegendaryharambe

          12 months ago

          @prov356 Again, pickles doesn’t have to know that.

          Although your point is taken that Kay could still be found guilty if he genuinely didn’t know the pills were laced with fentanyl.

    • JoeBrady

      12 months ago

      So Matt Harvey, who had also supplied Skaggs in the past and who revealed that Skaggs had different suppliers, gets immunity from prosecution while they crush the little guy.
      ===============================
      There is a pretty big difference between selling drugs and sharing. I know plenty of people that shared drugs. I know almost no one that actually sold.

      Reply
      • barkinghumans77

        12 months ago

        And I’m sure both having had injuries and surgeries, probably shared war stories. They were friends. Probably prescribed to them at one point and found out that Kay could get them. Sounds like they all abused them for one reason or another. Sad story all around. I’m sure Kay felt pressure to supply them. I’d imagine he wanted to be one of the guys. Doesn’t make it right, just makes it more of a tragedy. It’s also why patients with legitimate needs end up losing. They jump through hoops and are monitored extensively just to be able to go to work and provide for their family. Meanwhile, “celebrity” doctor’s write scripts at will.

        Reply
  10. whyhayzee

    12 months ago

    There is just nothing good about what this guy did. Had to be an easy verdict to reach. Such a shame. The only reason he is busted is because someone dies. Guess what? It’s too late by then.

    Maybe there’s some small amount of peace for the Skaggs family, but I doubt it. Sad story.

    Reply
    • whyhayzee

      12 months ago

      I have been to quite a few funerals for drug overdose victims, knew some of them quite well. Some have been quite surprising to me, others not so much. But when you find out more, it’s less surprising. These are people who have lost their way. It’s so hard to help them out of it. Families are devastated. Friends are devastated. There is nothing good about it. A family member knew Tyler Skaggs, but I would never feel comfortable probing for any more information. And I have had these conversations a lot to try to understand how to help the next person but the information is private and I prefer to respect that. Sadly, there are too many people who just don’t care what happens as long as they take care of themselves. Maybe Tyler Skaggs death will impact someone favorably down the road. That would be at least a small benefit out of this mess.

      Reply
  11. Paulie Walnuts

    12 months ago

    What was Matt Harvey’s ERA with runners in snorting position?

    Reply
    • Edp007

      12 months ago

      Lol

      Reply
    • barkinghumans77

      12 months ago

      He did a bang up job. Pitches were on rails. Was always ready to go between the lines.

      Reply
      • thelegendaryharambe

        12 months ago

        Could always nose out the right pitch, given the situation.

        Reply
  12. Amanda

    12 months ago

    what i dont get is, how was we even able to be on a MLB team, they daily or weekly take drug tests and lets be honest, when he died was NOT the first time he took pills, so between the team, i dont mean the suppliers i mean like the regular players that were his friends, his family//parents, girlfriend or wife( assuming he had one or the other), and nobody saw he had a problem? you dont just accidentally overdose on fentanyl , he never should of been on the team

    Reply
    • jabronieramone

      12 months ago

      They only test for PEDs

      Reply
      • RobM

        12 months ago

        I believe post Skaggs death, they began testing for these specific drugs of abuse. No player would be suspended if they tested positive, but they would have to go through a rehab program.

        Reply
  13. 16

    12 months ago

    This entire thing is terrible, they set the wrong expectations from the start with the Skaggs family and then proceeded to find the lackey clubhouse attendant whom was literally doing his job, with a opioid problem of his own and pin him as the fall guy. Meanwhile they let the only drug dealer in the case involved go with immunity. Matt Harvey was as much of a drug distributor and dealer as Kay was. The Angels knew Kay had a problem, they pushed him into rehab, yet somehow they had no idea all this was happening (keep in mind there are now multiple cameras in the dugout and clubhouse to prevent sign stealing and other malfeasance). Sorry a young man died, but he was on a collision course with or without Eric Kay and all the others that enabled and/or helped him procure.

    Reply
    • JoeBrady

      12 months ago

      clubhouse attendant whom was literally doing his job
      ====================================
      I’m pretty sure that the Angels do not have a job description that reads “must supply illegal drugs to players”.

      I still agree on the collision course remark. My neighbor was on that course and it doesn’t feel like anything was going to save him. Heck of a nice guy, but probably had the same gene that led to his father’s death.

      Reply
      • LordD99

        12 months ago

        …not to mention, Kay is not a clubhouse attendant. He was a member of the front office as the team’s PR director. His role most certainly is not distributing drugs.

        Reply
    • Cosmo2

      12 months ago

      Can’t be doing your job if what you’re doing is illegal.

      Reply
  14. tigerdoc616

    12 months ago

    I hope this gives Tyler Skaggs family some peace. It won’t bring him back though. So sad, a young man gone too soon.

    Reply
  15. RoastGobot

    12 months ago

    Sad for everybody. These drug companies should be ashamed for what they’ve done to this country

    Reply
    • disqus_g3cAw8QJKq

      12 months ago

      Alas greed and shame rarely coexist.

      Reply
    • barkinghumans77

      12 months ago

      What about legitimate patients? Everyone Lumos opioids into one very large basket. Like a guy trying to work with a broken vertebrae is the same as someone buying heroin or counterfeit pills or even fentanyl. Those legitimate drugs help the legitimate people. A 65 year old grandma taking Percocet for her hip is WAY different than someone shooting up at a dealers house yet the media uses them all in the same equation

      Reply
  16. HankHill

    12 months ago

    This guy sounds like a real jerk!

    Reply
    • Four4fore

      12 months ago

      RIP Norm

      Reply
      • HankHill

        12 months ago

        And Saget

        Reply
  17. RobM

    12 months ago

    Truly unfortunate for all involved, chiefly Skaggs and Kay. One life lost, another life soon to be imprisoned. Highly addictive drug. I know MLB now tests for these substances, so one has to hope the testing and the death of Skaggs scared other MLB players to get help if they were dealing with addiction problems.

    I can’t imagine this was unique to the Angels, although having a member of the front office also having addiction problems and serving as the distributor might have made it worse.

    Minimum 20 years? Pretty sure you could shoot someone with intent to kill in New York and be out in less than 20 years without any priors. Kay clearly didn’t intend to kill anyone, but his actions certainly made it easier for players to access these drugs.

    Wasn’t it the Angels clubhouse guy who also was providing “sticky stuff” to all pitchers around the league? Extremely minor comparatively, but maybe there is some cultural problem going on with the Angels. Or was.

    Reply
    • prov356

      12 months ago

      RobM – Kay may not have intended to kill Skaggs, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is if it was reasonably foreseeable that someone could die as a result of his actions. If you deal drugs, it is reasonably foreseeable that someone using your drugs could overdose.

      Reply
    • JoeBrady

      12 months ago

      RobM59 mins ago
      Pretty sure you could shoot someone with intent to kill in New York and be out in less than 20 years
      ====================================
      I was certain you were going to say ’20 hours’.

      Reply
  18. prov356

    12 months ago

    None of us were in the courtroom listening to the testimony, so we don’t know the evidence. I do know that it is difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the specific drugs that killed Skaggs came from a specific source. The prosecution was obviously able to do that beyond a reasonable doubt. He is facing at least 20 years according to the article so the charge carries a minimum mandatory sentence of 20, probably because the offense resulted in death. If Harvey received immunity, it’s because they knew Kays drugs killed Skaggs so they wanted Harvey’s testimony for corroboration. It is common in these types of cases to allow someone who is less culpable to cooperate if their testimony is the only way to enter certain facts into evidence and they would plead the 5th otherwise.

    Reply
  19. 2012orioles

    12 months ago

    No winners in this. Just sad. Many lives ruined. Praying for all involved.

    Reply
  20. Edp007

    12 months ago

    You guys have long minimum sentences in USA. Sheesh

    Reply
    • Randy Watson

      12 months ago

      If can’t do the time. don’t do the crime.

      Reply
    • mfm4200

      12 months ago

      nah, we only have them when the drug addict is rich and christian (and/or the “dealer” isn’t white or rich)..

      if this hadn’t been a rich born again, there wouldn’t have been charges.

      but since we have to lock up somebody when the mentally ill (oops, i mean, christian) kills themselves because they can’t read ( i mean, every bottle of pain meds on the planet says don’t take with booze, yet somehow, tyler isn’t to blame for his own death), this guy paid the price for it.

      Reply
      • Cosmo2

        12 months ago

        Everyone else is discussing the topic. To you it’s just an excuse for bigoted rants.

        Reply
        • JoeBrady

          12 months ago

          MFM is so, so broken.

      • Dunedin020306

        12 months ago

        mfm4200 – It sounds like you would likely benefit from a hug….. and God’s perfect Word.

        Reply
  21. Ron Tingley

    12 months ago

    What garbage. Kay seemed like a nerd trying to be cool with the big leaguers and was dumb about it. Losing a human life is not for debate. Putting someone away for 20 years for putting pills in someone’s hand is the real crime.. there’s def a lot to debate about there. Half of our doctors would be locked up. How about we not pay for this guy to become a violent criminal and get all the wonderful things that will happen to him in prison, and tell the guy he has to do a lifetime of community service. Make him do an 8 hour shift washing dishes at some skilled nursing facility even when he’s 75. What a waste of a lot of things

    Reply
  22. TJT88

    12 months ago

    Message to anyone who has never taken narcotic pain medication: if you find yourself injured and a doctor offers them to you, please do your best to say no and move forward without them. These things don’t discriminate and they can and will ruin your life and steal your soul.

    Reply
    • YankeesBleacherCreature

      12 months ago

      I had my appendix taken out several years ago. I was given one Oxy pill right after early morning surgery while I was still in a daze. I felt well enough to be discharged that evening after requesting for some Ibuprofen. I remember being handed a prescription for 20 more Oxy pills WITH refills. I tore it up and walked out. I was back at work on the third day after surgery taking normal Advil dosages.

      Reply
      • Dustyslambchops23

        12 months ago

        Crazy how much it’s the go to despite the addiction and death rates where they are.

        Reply
      • phillyphilly4133

        12 months ago

        Schedule 2 drugs like Percocet and OxyContin cannot be refilled. You need a new prescription for each fill either written or sent electronically.

        Reply
        • barkinghumans77

          12 months ago

          @phillyphilly4143 I’m not trying to argue, just pointing out there are legitimate uses for these medications. IDK what the best answer is but I know disability doesn’t pay very well and if given the choice I’m going to provide for my family. I also agree that early in there were lots of doctors cashing in on it. I just hate to see everything written off as so cut and dry.

      • barkinghumans77

        12 months ago

        Maybe you felt well enough at that point because of the OXY you were given earlier. Yes, there are lots of horror stories involving opioids. There are also lots of stories of people being able to lead a mostly normal life with chronic conditions because of them. Despite what you may believe it’s not so black and white

        Reply
      • mfm4200

        12 months ago

        well, i know you’re lying.

        oxy is and has always been a schedule 2 drug.

        those don’t come with refills.

        but cool story, bro.

        Reply
      • etex211

        12 months ago

        I had colon surgery three years ago. When they got me back to my room after surgery, I had one of those morphine pumps. They told me to push the button any time I wanted help with the pain. The nurses were coming in every couple of hours to check my vital signs. I noticed that my blood pressure kept getting lower. I asked a nurse why. She told me it was the morphine from that pump. I never pushed the button again. When the girl came in a couple of days later to remove that pump, I asked her how many times I had pushed the button. It was 13. Pain medications are dangerous business.

        Reply
    • phillyphilly4133

      12 months ago

      Most patients are now limited to 7 day supply their first time filling these types of meds. It prevents unnecessary extra pills that can lead to extended abuse.

      Reply
  23. GarryHarris

    12 months ago

    Killers using weapons such as knives and guns get 11 years. Killing someone reckless driving even less. How does this carry minimum 20 years?

    Reply
  24. GoYanks

    12 months ago

    For the record, it wasn’t even the drug that killed him. It was the vomit that choked him to death. So give the vomit 20 years!

    Reply
  25. IlliniDawg01

    12 months ago

    Without knowing the dynamic of their relationship, it is hard to have an opinion. If Kay was an addict trying to make extra money and offered his services to Skaggs, then this seems warranted. If however, Kay was a glorified assistant to the players and they reached out to him to help them appease their addictions and he felt compelled to do so because they had more power than him, then shame fully on the players. Unless Kay intentionally brought him tainted drugs, which seems highly unlikely, I’m not sure he should be given this much blame.

    Reply
    • JoeBrady

      12 months ago

      If Kay was an addict trying to make extra money
      =================================
      This is why I haven’t commented on the severity of the sentence. If this was like Harvey, just sharing some drugs with a teammate, that’s the same thing as happens in bars all across America.

      OTOH, if you can make a case that he was a dealer, making a profit, then you have to pay the price.

      Reply
    • Dunedin020306

      12 months ago

      IlliniDawg01 – GO ILLINI!!!

      Reply
  26. etex211

    12 months ago

    Does anybody here believe that upper Angels management never had a clue any of this was going on?

    Reply
  27. DarkSide830

    12 months ago

    some crazy comments here. how is 20 years heavy? (especially given so many people get out of prison early) the dude knowingly gave out illegal drugs and killed someone doing it. yeah he didnt intend to kill Skaggs, but that’s not a heck of a lot better than shooting a guy and saying “well, medical care is good nowadays, he should survive”. To sell illegal drugs means you bought them from somewhere, and this wasnt a one-off either. Enjoy rotting in jail Eric. I hope your story encourages others not to do the same.

    Reply
  28. The Saber-toothed Superfife

    12 months ago

    What a bunch of vindictive, small people the American public is……
    Poor Tyler.
    Poor Tyler’s family.

    It’s about time law enforcement and you emergency workers realize……
    How many of the “ODs” are actually murders?
    XTC, FenRx…….go to a night club or anywhere…… you’ve never done that stuff in your.life…but what are the cops gonna say?
    Because some vindictive person, like the very SAME ONES posting here….decided….they don’t like you, you disrespected.them, you looked at his gf, sister ect….make up any GD lie they flipping feel like because all of the self righteous, vindictive people are just gonna jump on board….now a whole.generation of idiots who grew up seeing The Godfather, 10 times a year, every year, Christmas, Easter, 4th of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day…
    And.they think that is the way to succeed, the blueprint for.life vs the concepts presented in the Bible.
    And I ain’t no thumper….

    Reply
    • The Saber-toothed Superfife

      12 months ago

      I am somebody WHO REALLY HATES THOSE PILLS.

      In -1983!, someone DROPPED pills on me and STOLE MY ENTIRE LIFE’S work of writings, over 600 original songs, songs you have heard on the radio, THAT I WAS NEVER PAID FOR BECAUSE OF THESE GD CRIMINALS ARE GETTING AWAY WITH THIS STUFF AND THE COPS DONT DO SHT!

      THAT WAS IN 1983!!!!!
      A LONG, LONG TIME AGO BEFORE EVEN FENYTOL.

      Reply
      • The Saber-toothed Superfife

        12 months ago

        I woke up the next day and didn’t even know I had been robbed.

        Reply

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