Mike Trout thought Angels staffer was using something but never saw signs of Tyler Skaggs drug use

An emotional Mike Trout took the stand on Tuesday in the wrongful death trial against the Angels, testifying about what a valued friend Tyler Skaggs was and how he knew team employee Eric Kay had a drug problem. Skaggs died of an overdose while on a team trip in Texas in 2019 and his family is suing the Angels for $118 million for their culpability for Kay, who provided the counterfeit oxycodone pill that was laced with fentanyl to the pitcher.During the several hours of testimony in Orange County Superior Court, Trout explained how he came to understand that Kay had a drug problem, with it first being raised when a clubhouse attendant suggested Angels players stop giving Kay, the team’s communications director, money for stunts he was doing. Trout later testified, according to CBS News, that it was clear to him Kay was “using something” but he “didn’t know what it was.”Kay would take a fastball to the leg, shave off his own eyebrow, or even eat a pimple off Trout’s back for money, which the attendant warned could be for “a bad purpose.” “First thing that came to my mind was drugs,” Trout said, according to the Orange County Register.“That was what I got out of it.

I don’t know what kind of drugs.”Trout also testified that Kay seemed “off” at times and described how the former Angels staffer would be “sometimes just sweating, sometimes wired.”The three-time American League MVP added during his testimony that at one point he offered to help Kay, though he didn’t recall offering to pay for rehab. “I don’t remember me specifically saying I will pay for rehab, but I said if you need anything let me know,” Trout said.It was quite clear when Trout began suspecting Kay of having a drug problem, but after the realization, he made sure to find out where any memorabilia he signed for Kay would be going for fear that it would be sold to pay for drugs. He responded to a juror’s question about when he began to suspect that “i...