ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 22: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels looks on from the dugout ahead of the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on August 22, 2023 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
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Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout appeared in court on Tuesday to testify in a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the team by ex-teammate Tyler Skaggs’ parents and wife.
Trout took the stand in a civil trial and spoke about his friendship with Skaggs. Trout and Skaggs were roommates during their rookie seasons and they played together on the Angels for seven years.
“Skaggs was ‘very funny, outgoing, fun to be around’ and toted around a boom box as the team’s deejay, Trout said,” according to the Associated Press.
The trial is focused on Skaggs’ family’s claim that the Angels should be held responsible after their communication director, Eric Kay, gave Skaggs a fentanyl-laced pill that led to his overdose death during a team trip to Texas six years ago.
Trout described Kay as being good at his job, but also shared some concerning memories of him.
“At one point, however, Trout said a clubhouse attendant suggested the players should stop paying Kay for stunts he was pulling like taking a fastball to the leg, shaving off his eyebrows and eating a pimple off Trout’s back due to concerns the money might be used for a ‘bad purpose,’” the Associated Press reported. “Trout said he had seen Kay acting wired and sweating and ‘the first thing that came to mind was drugs.’ He said it was clear he was ‘using something.’”
Trout “choked up” during his “incredibly emotional” testimony about Skaggs, according to The Athletic’s Sam Blum.
Trout “acknowledged his belief that Eric Kay had a drug issue and confronted him about it,” Blum added.
Kay was previously convicted of providing Skaggs with the pill that led to his death and sentenced to more than two decades in prison. Following Trout’s testimony, it’s possible that Cincinnati Reds pitcher Wade Miley, who also played on the Angels with Skaggs, will be called in to testify.