Former Angels player CJ Cron delivered stunning testimony in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by Tyler Skaggs’ family, stating that Skaggs himself identified convicted communications staffer Eric Kay as his source for opioids. This testimony directly links the drug distribution to a team employee from a player’s perspective, complicating the Angels’ defense that they were unaware of Kay’s activities and placing the organization’s culpability at the center of the high-stakes trial.
In a dramatic turn in the wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of the late pitcher Tyler Skaggs, former teammate CJ Cron took the stand and testified that Skaggs had personally informed him he could acquire opioids from a Los Angeles Angels communications employee. The testimony strikes at the very heart of the case, directly challenging the Angels’ position that they were unaware of a drug pipeline operating within their own clubhouse.
Cron, a first baseman who had two separate stints with the team, stated that after mentioning he was playing through pain, Skaggs pointed him toward Eric Kay. Cron testified that he later paid Kay cash for pills directly inside the Angels clubhouse, a revelation that paints a damning picture of the environment the organization oversaw.
The Core of the Lawsuit: What Did the Angels Know?
This trial is not about whether Eric Kay supplied the fatal drug; that has already been established. Kay is currently serving a 22-year federal prison sentence for providing Skaggs with the fentanyl-laced oxycodone pill that led to his death in a Texas hotel room in July 2019, a detail confirmed by Yahoo Sports. Instead, this civil suit is about institutional responsibility.
Skaggs’ family is suing the Angels for more than $120 million in future earnings and other damages, claiming the team knew, or should have known, that one of its employees was actively distributing dangerous narcotics to players. Cron’s testimony, which came as part of the Angels’ own defense, provides the most direct link yet between a player’s drug use and an employee’s role as a supplier, all happening under the team’s roof.
A Damaging Digital Trail
The court was also presented with text messages that further solidified the connection between the players and Kay. In one text from July 2018, Cron wrote to Skaggs, “Get as many blues from EK as you can, I’ll pay you however much.”
Skaggs’ reply was telling: “Lol he is off them. Text him.” This exchange not only references Kay by his initials but also suggests a casual, established pattern of acquisition. While on the stand, Cron attempted to dismiss the text message as having been sent “in jest,” a claim the jury will have to weigh against the grim reality of the case.
Cron’s testimony echoed what he previously stated during Kay’s criminal trial, but its impact is arguably greater in this civil case where the Angels’ liability is the central question. According to reporting from The Athletic, Cron also detailed a transaction in May 2018, when Skaggs allegedly delivered 15 oxycontin pills to him at the Tampa Bay Rays’ team hotel.
An Unfolding Defense Strategy
The decision by the Angels’ legal team to call Cron as a witness is a high-risk, high-reward strategy. It suggests they may be attempting to control the narrative by presenting all known facts, rather than having them emerge during the plaintiff’s arguments. However, having a former player explicitly state he received drugs from a team employee, facilitated by another player, severely undermines any claim of institutional ignorance.
The trial is far from over. The Angels are expected to call team orthopedist Dr. Neal ElAttrache and club president John Carpino to the stand later this week. This sets up another potential flashpoint, as Skaggs’ mother, Debbie Hetman, previously testified that she had warned Dr. ElAttrache about her son’s addiction to Percocet as far back as 2013.
Cron’s testimony has undeniably shifted the landscape of this trial. It transforms the central question from what the Angels *should* have known to what they actively ignored. As the proceedings continue, the focus will remain squarely on the organization’s culture and whether it failed to protect one of its own from a tragedy that unfolded in plain sight.
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