Trout: Was alerted to Kay's possible drug abuse

SANTA ANA, Calif. -- Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout testified Tuesday that a squad worker alerted him to imaginable concerns astir cause maltreatment by the Angels' erstwhile communications director, Eric Kay, earlier the 2019 accidental overdose decease of Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs successful a Texas edifice room.

Trout said helium confronted Kay directly, telling him, "You person 2 boys astatine home, and you person to get this right."

Trout's grounds brought the tribunal lawsuit a measurement person to establishing that Kay's behaviour was raising capable reddish flags to warrant squad involution earlier helium provided the drugs that killed Skaggs astatine property 27. The Skaggs household is suing the Angels for wrongful death, seeking $118 cardinal and asserting that the squad violated its ain rules by allowing Kay to stay connected unit contempt the dangers posed by his cause abuse.

Two squad officials, communications vice president Tim Mead and traveling caput Tom Taylor, testified earlier that they were unaware of Kay's cause occupation oregon had lone indications of determination being a occupation with medicine medication. Attorneys representing the Skaggs household program to telephone astatine slightest 1 witnesser -- Kay's woman -- whose pretrial deposition ran straight antagonistic to Taylor's and Mead's testimony, according to a study by The Athletic.

The Skaggs family's suit repeatedly refers to reporting by ESPN's T.J. Quinn successful October 2019, citing sources who told national investigators that squad officials knew of Skaggs' cause usage agelong earlier his decease and that Kay was selling drugs to different players.

Trout, the 34-year-old 11-time All-Star, became the archetypal Angels subordinate to attest successful the civilian trial.

Trout's two-hour grounds alternated betwixt light-hearted memories of his narration with Skaggs and superior ones astir bizarre behaviour by Kay arsenic his cause usage became progressively evident. Trout choked up astatine times during his testimony, and tissues were passed among Skaggs' household members arsenic they sat connected the beforehand row.

Plaintiff's lawyer Shawn Holley claimed successful her opening connection past week that the Angels enactment Skaggs "directly successful harm's way" by continuing to employment Kay aft behavioral issues pointed to a cause problem. Kay is serving a 22-year national situation condemnation for providing the fentanyl-laced oxycodone that caused Skaggs' death.

Angels lawyer Todd Theodora countered successful his opening statements past week that the squad is not liable for activities Kay and Skaggs undertook successful their disconnected time. Team officials were not alert of Skaggs' cause usage oregon that Kay was providing drugs to players, the defence argues. Theodora said it was Skaggs who "decided to get the illicit pills and instrumentality the illicit drugs on with the intoxicant the nighttime helium died."

Trout testified helium saw Skaggs portion intoxicant but had not seen Skaggs usage drugs different than marijuana and that Skaggs showed nary outward signs of utilizing drugs. Trout said helium was amazed to larn that aggregate teammates had been utilizing illicit drugs. Multiple ex-Angels testified astatine Kay's 2022 transgression proceedings that Kay provided them with oxycodone.

Trout testified that helium was unaware of players taking illicit drugs oregon purchasing them from Kay, but helium "may person heard" that erstwhile a subordinate wanted Viagra, Kay would spell to a doc to grip that.

Trout said that erstwhile helium became alert that Kay mightiness beryllium utilizing drugs, helium constricted Kay's quality to get autographs from Trout to marque definite Kay wasn't "misusing them" -- that is, selling autographed worldly and utilizing the wealth to bargain drugs.

"I made definite erstwhile helium brought them [autographed items] down, I knew who they were going to," Trout said.

Before confronting Kay, Trout said helium dared the communications worker to bash aggregate acts deemed arsenic "horseplay" for varying amounts of money, including taking a 90 mile-per-hour fastball to the body, eating a bug disconnected the clubhouse level and different crude act.

Trout's descriptions pointed to the hopeless extremes Kay was consenting to spell for money. Trout said helium stopped offering to wage Kay for the acts erstwhile clubhouse attendant Kris Constanti suggested Kay was utilizing the wealth for illicit purposes. Trout was asked successful tribunal however helium interpreted that.

"The archetypal happening that came to my caput was drugs," Trout s...