Angels staffer charged re Skaggs, Guice accused of domestic abuse

When Tyler Skaggs, pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels, died of a drug overdose in his hotel room 13 months ago, his family was shocked.  He was not known to be a substance abuser – or a user at all.  Investigations immediately began.  How did he acquire the fentanyl-laced oxycodone that killed him?

Police say his supplier was Eric Kay, 45, Angels media relations director.  Kay last week was charged by federal authorities in Texas with distributing fentanyl.  If convicted, he could serve 20 years in prison.  An affidavit from the Drug Enforcement Agency filed in U.S. District Court in Fort Worth said Kay and Skaggs had a “history of narcotics transactions.”  Kay is accused of distributing opiates to Skaggs and “other” members of the ballclub “at the stadium where they worked.”

Skaggs died in a Southlake, Texas, hotel room July 1, 2019, with his team scheduled to play the Texas Rangers that night in Arlington.  He was salaried at  $3.7 million and was 7-7 with a 4.29 ERA in 15 starts last year.  At 27 he was believed to be entering his prime years as a pitcher. 

He was discovered on his bed, fully clothed, with no signs of trauma.  A medical examiner listed the cause of death as “alcohol, fentanyl and oxycodone intoxication.”  

The DEA affidavit said, “It was determined that but for the fentanyl, Skaggs would not have died.” 

Kay initially told authorities he last saw Skaggs when they checked into the hotel and he wasn’t sure the pitcher used drugs other than marijuana.  But investigators obtained text messages between Kay and Skaggs from the afternoon before the overdose.

“How many?” Kay wrote. 

“Just a few like 5,” Skaggs responded.

The pitcher arranged for Kay to drop by his room that night.  Hotel key records showed the door to Kay’s room was opened at 11:29 p.m. on June 30 and that Skaggs’ door opened nine minutes later.  Kay later told a third party that he did in fact visit Skaggs’ hotel room that night after receiving the text messages.

Soon after the investigation began a year ago, Kay resigned from the Angels, who had been his employer for 24 years.  His attorney, Michael Molfetta, told CNN that Kay was cooperating with the DEA while undergoing treatment for addiction.  “He’s dealing with his own demons,” Molfetta said.  “He knows he’s going to be blamed for this.”  Molfetta described Skaggs as “an addict who overdosed.”

The affidavit said several unnamed individuals were aware Kay provided pills to Skaggs that were called “blue boys” — nonnprescription oxycodone tablets laced with fentanyl.  Kay allegedly had been delivering them to Skaggs since 2017.

Kay said in October that he was cooperating with the federal investigation into Skaggs’ death because it was “the right thing to do.”   He said, “It’s time for everybody to stand up and take responsibility for their respective roles.”

The implication is that “others” in the Angels organization had roles in this tragedy.  Molfetta said, “Attempts to blame any one person for another person’s addiction are extremely naïve.  What happened is very sad on many levels.  But to say it’s any one person’s fault is not right.”

Angels pitchers Andrew Heaney and Noe Ramirez and former Angels pitchers Matt Harvey and Trevor Cahill were questioned by federal agents.  The Angels claim none of Kay’s superiors in management knew of drug-dealing or usage by anyone employed by the team.  But this is probably not the end of the story.

Washington’s Guice arrested for domestic violence 

When Derrius Guice was playing football for LSU, questions arose about his character.  He had remarkable athletic skills – the only player in the history of the Southeastern Conference to rush for 250 yards on three occasions.  But the NFL was wary.  On performance he should have been a first-round pick in 2018, but he lasted until the second round, chosen by Washington.

Guice missed his entire rookie season with a torn ACL, and knee injuries last year limited him to five games.  He was excellent when he played: 42 carries, 245 yards, 5.8 per carry, long gain of 60.  He was No. 1 on the depth chart, ahead of venerable All-Pro Adrian Peterson.

But the character issues arose on Friday, when the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office charged him with three separate instances of domestic abuse, in February, March and April.  He’s facing three counts of assault and battery and one count destruction of property. 

The Washington team is not waiting for his day in court but released him two hours after he turned himself in.   

Guice’s attorney, Peter Greenspun, said his client “adamantly denies these charges.”  Greenspun faulted the police for not seeking “a statement or any input from Derrius before the warrants were issued.  The failure to fully investigate allegations of events, which allegedly took place months ago, is inexplicable.”

The alleged incidents all occurred in Guice’s home in Ashburn, Va., and were reported to police on July 23.

The NFL has been much criticized in recent years for overlooking transgressions against women, but times have changed.  The timing here was especially unfortunate for Guice, with the Washington Football Team, as it’s now called, scandalized by last month’s Washington Post expose of widespread harassment of  its female employees.

Football-wise, the loss of Guice is a major blow to a team that’s haltingly rebuilding from a 3-13 season.  Guice reportedly was working tirelessly to strengthen his legs and protect them from more injuries.  Although Peterson is 35, he returns to the top of the depth chart, backed by veteran backups Peyton Barber and J.D. McKissic and rookies Antonio Gibson (third-round pick) and Bryce Love.

Washington has a new coach, Ron Rivera, who previously coached the Carolina Panthers, one of the teams that took Guice off their draft board because of perceived character flaws.  No doubt Rivera was eager to push him out the door of his current team.

Baker charged in Florida shakedown, Dunbar skates

DeAndre Baker, 2019 first-round draft pick and a starting cornerback of the New York Giants, was charged with four counts of robbery with a firearm stemming from an alleged incident in south Florida in May. 

He’s accused of stealing cash and watches from four men at a house party, according to a statement from the Broward State Attorney’s Office.  At the time of the alleged incident, witnesses said he robbed the men at gunpoint.  If convicted, Baker will serve a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.

But his companion in the alleged caper, cornerback Quinton Dunbar of the Seattle Seahawks, is free.  Prosecutors declined to file charges against Dunbar, citing “insufficient evidence.”

The Giants confirmed to CNN that Baker remains a member of the team at this time but provided no further comment.  Both Baker and Dunbar were placed on the NFL’s Commissioner’s Exempt List in July.  They are suspended with pay.  Only the commissioner has the authority to add a player to this list or remove him from it.