A former communications director for the Los Angeles Angels was found guilty of providing drugs that killed Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs in 2019, The Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: The verdict comes after a trial centered around opioid use in Major League Baseball.
Driving the news: Eric Kay, who worked as a media representative for the team, was accused of giving Skaggs a mixture of drug oxycodone and fentanyl, which ultimately led to his death.
- Per The New York Times, prosecutors argued that Kay gave Skaggs drugs that were made to look like oxycodone but were actually fentanyl.
- Skaggs was found dead on July 1, 2019. He was 27, according to The Associated Press.
Details: The trial featured former and current MLB players, including Matt Harvey, C.J. Cron, Mike Morin, and Cam Bedrosian, according to CBS Sports.
- All of the players said they previously received drugs from Kay.
- Harvey said that painkiller use was commonplace for players in 2019.
The other side: The Los Angeles Angels have said no one in the organization with authority knew anything about the painkiller use, CBS Sports reports.
What’s next: Kay will be sentenced on June 28, according to ESPN. Kay now faces 20 years in prison for drug distribution ending in death.