At least a half-dozen current and former Angels players have been interviewed by federal agents as part of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's probe into pitcher Tyler Skaggs' drug-related death in Texas this summer, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing an unidentified person with knowledge of the interviews who is not authorized to speak publicly about them.
The Times identified four of the players: Trevor Cahill, who a representative for the pitcher confirmed was questioned by DEA agents in Texas in September, as well as fellow current Angels pitchers Andrew Heaney and Noe Ramirez and former Angels pitcher Matt Harvey, who was released by the team July 21, less than three weeks after Skaggs was found dead in a suburban Dallas-Fort Worth hotel ahead of a series against the Rangers.
According to the report, investigators hoped the players "might be able to shed light on whether the use of opiates was prevalent in the clubhouse, if they ever saw players using illegal narcotics on team flights and if they knew how Skaggs procured drugs."
In a separate development Tuesday, ESPN.com reported the Angels could face "significant sanctions" if MLB determines that team employees were informed of Skaggs' opioid use before his death July 1 and didn't tell the commissioner's office.
Skaggs, 27 at the time of his death, was found to have fentanyl and oxycodone, both powerful opioids, in his system as well as alcohol when he was found dead in the team's Southlake, Texas, hotel room July 1, the day after the team arrived from Southern California.
ESPN reported Saturday that Eric Kay, who has worked for the team in media relations for 24 years, told federal agents that he provided opioids to Skaggs and he abused drugs with the pitcher for several years. Kay, 45, said he witnessed Skaggs snort three lines of crushed opioids in the Texas hotel room where he died.
Kay, who is on paid administrative leave and in outpatient treatment for opioid addiction, cooperated with DEA agents in hopes of a more lenient sentence if he is charged with a crime, his attorney acknowledged Tuesday in a radio interview, according to the Times.
Kay told investigators that he knew of five players who he believed used opiates while they were Angels and that two team officials — former Angels VP of communications Tim Mead and team traveling secretary Tom Taylor — were told about Skaggs’ drug use long before his death.
According to MLB's Joint Drug Agreement, any team employee who isn't a player is obligated to inform the commissioner's office of "any evidence or reason to believe that a Player ... has used, possessed or distributed any substance prohibited" by MLB.
The JDA says commissioner Rob Manfred could fine the Angels up to $2 million, and it gives him discretion to suspend an employee or ban him or her from MLB for life. An unidentified MLB source told ESPN.com that the commissioner's office never received any notification about Skaggs' drug use, though MLB officials declined to comment on the situation.
Both Mead, who is now president of the Baseball Hall of Fame, and Taylor deny Kay's allegations, and the Angels issued a statement that said: "We have never heard that any employee was providing illegal narcotics to any player, or that any player was seeking illegal narcotics.”
ESPN's unidentified source said MLB is not currently conducting its own investigation but instead is waiting for the DEA to finish its probe.
