Pretty sure that this headline isn't something that Major League Baseball needs right now while they are in the midst of a battle with the MLBPA to end the lockout. However, here we are talking about the use of painkillers and the culture around Major League Baseball. In the trial of former Angels employee Eric Kay rages on into its seventh day, the prosecution called All-Star pitcher Matt Harvey to the stand. Harvey used to be teammates with Skaggs, who passed away on July 1, 2019, from a drug overdose.
While we will not go into specifics about the death of Tyler Skaggs, the one big highlight to come out of Harvey's testimony is the honesty about his past drug use, his connection to Skaggs, and the "drug culture" problem in Major League Baseball.
ESPN reporter T.J. Quinn is at Kay’s trial and provides an eye-opening quote from Harvey about the drug culture in Major League Baseball. According to Quinn, Harvey described the culture in Major League baseball and how players are desperate to stay on the field and play through injuries and therefore the use of painkillers to achieve that goal. The former Mets and Angles pitcher insist he's far from alone in dealing with painkillers. Harvey also insisted that he never knew Skaggs had a drug problem and that he was using painkillers on a recreational basis or to recover from injuries.
When pressed later about his use of the substance and if he ever hid his use, Harvey said “no one really asked.” Additionally, the former Met admitted to using the drug during his time in New York and was still using it when he went to California.
In the case, the defense is trying to suggest that Harvey could have been the supplier of Percocet pills which were found in Skaggs’ possession on the day he passed away. The defense is also hoping to show that Skaggs got drugs from multiple sources in the days and weeks leading up to his death back in 2019. The strategy employed by the defense is to try to cast doubt that it was Eric Kay who supplied Skaggs with the drugs that lead to his death.
Harvey used to be teammates with Skaggs, who passed away on July 1, 2019, from a drug overdose.
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