A clinical psychologist termed Tyler Skaggs a “high-functioning” addict in the years prior to his 2019 overdose death, tracing a pattern of use that preceded the Los Angeles Angels pitcher’s fatal ingestion of an oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl.
Elie Anoun, an assistant professor at Columbia, testified on behalf of the Angels that Skaggs failed to address the totality of his opioid addiction when he decided to quit using Percocet without seeking clinical assistance in 2013.
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Skaggs was traded from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Angels in December 2013, and witnesses for the ballclub have aimed to paint a consistent pattern of Skaggs’ drug abuse. The family of the late pitcher is seeking $118 million in lost earnings and punitive damages from the team, arguing that the club knew or should have known that former communications director Eric Kay was providing opioids to Skaggs.
Kay is serving a 22-year term in federal prison after jurors in Texas determined he provided the pill that contributed to Skaggs’ death.
“Not everyone with an addiction is going to be a homeless person under a bridge shooting heroin,” Aoun said in court Wednesday, Dec. 10, according to the Orange County Register. “Many people with addictions are under the radar.”
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Tyler Skaggs: Look back at the career of the late MLB pitcher
Sunlight illuminates the pitchers mound with the jersey number of late Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs before a game against the Houston Astros at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on July 18, 2019.
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Tyler Skaggs: Look back at the career of the late MLB pitcher
Sunlight illuminates the pitchers mound with the jersey number of late Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs before a game against the Houston Astros at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on July 18, 2019.
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Tyler Skaggs: Look back at the career of the late MLB pitcher
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (22) points to the sky prior to pitching in the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies during an MLB Players’ Weekend game at Busch Stadium on Aug. 23, 2019. FlahertyÕs jersey nickname and cleats honored his friend Tyler Skaggs who passed away earlier the season.
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Tyler Skaggs: Look back at the career of the late MLB pitcher
Skaggs’ jersey hangs in the dugout on July, 2019, the day after his death.
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Tyler Skaggs: Look back at the career of the late MLB pitcher
Fans gather in front of Angel Stadium on July 12, 2019.
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Tyler Skaggs: Look back at the career of the late MLB pitcher
Angels players stand on the field for a moment of silence before their game at Angel Stadium on July 12, 2019.
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Tyler Skaggs: Look back at the career of the late MLB pitcher
A memorial for Skaggs outside Angel Stadium in July 2019.
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Tyler Skaggs: Look back at the career of the late MLB pitcher
A memorial on the outfield wall at Angel Stadium.
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Tyler Skaggs: Look back at the career of the late MLB pitcher
A memorial outside Angel Stadium in July 2019.
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Tyler Skaggs: Look back at the career of the late MLB pitcher
Skaggs during his start on June 29 against the Athletics.
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Tyler Skaggs: Look back at the career of the late MLB pitcher
Skaggs walks out onto the field for a spring training workout in 2018.
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Tyler Skaggs: Look back at the career of the late MLB pitcher
Skaggs during a spring training workout in 2018.
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Tyler Skaggs: Look back at the career of the late MLB pitcher
Skaggs, left, is congratulated and given the game ball after his major league debut on Aug. 22, 2012.
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Tyler Skaggs: Look back at the career of the late MLB pitcher
Skaggs pitching against the Blue Jays in May 2019.
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Tyler Skaggs: Look back at the career of the late MLB pitcher
Skaggs warms up before a start in Seattle in 2019.
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Tyler Skaggs: Look back at the career of the late MLB pitcher
Skaggs pitching against the Royals in 2019
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Tyler Skaggs: Look back at the career of the late MLB pitcher
Skaggs pitched in the 2012 Futures Game in Kansas City.
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Tyler Skaggs: Look back at the career of the late MLB pitcher
Skaggs pitching in the 2011 Futures Game in Arizona.
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Tyler Skaggs: Look back at the career of the late MLB pitcher
Skaggs, right, with Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins before a game in May 2019.
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Tyler Skaggs: Look back at the career of the late MLB pitcher
Skaggs pitching against the Mariners in July 2014.
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Tyler Skaggs: Look back at the career of the late MLB pitcher
Skaggs during spring training in 2012.
Aoun termed Skaggs an “advanced drug user” and that he depended on opioids to perform properly on the field, based on text messages and other evidence that has emerged in the criminal and civil trials. After Skaggs stopped using Percocet in 2013, Aoun testified that his loved ones did not sufficiently consider the gravity of his addiction.
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“Families are usually taking these things very seriously,” Aoun testified, according to the Register.
The criminal and civil trials painted a culture of pill-sharing in the Angels clubhouse during Skaggs’ tenure, with multiple players testifying about their usage and conversations with Skaggs about how to acquire opioids – including through Kay.
“He is bringing them into the drug-using world alongside him,” Aoun said of Skaggs.
The Angels are scheduled to conclude their defense this week, with closing arguments and deliberations commencing Dec. 15.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tyler Skaggs trial witness: Angels pitcher ‘high-functioning’ addict