Ex-Wife of Angels Employee Testifies About Players' Substance Abuse on Team Plane
In a dramatic turn of events, Camela Kay, the ex-wife of Los Angeles Angels employee Eric Kay, took the stand in a civil trial Monday to testify that players and clubhouse attendants were passing pills and alcohol while partying on the team plane. This revelation comes as part of a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Tyler Skaggs' family against the Angels, alleging that the team should be held responsible for allowing a drug-addicted and dealing team communications director to stay on the job.
According to Kay, she had traveled on the team plane with her then-husband Eric Kay, who was convicted of providing drugs that led to Skaggs' overdose death in 2019. She claimed to have seen players engaging in reckless behavior, including partying, playing card games, and gambling, while also passing out pills or drinking excessively.
"They're treated like kings," Kay said, describing the behavior she observed on the team plane. "I had seen them passing out pills or drinking alcohol excessively."
Kay's testimony was significant, as it shed light on the alleged substance abuse issues within the Angels' organization during Skaggs' time with the team. She claimed that her then-husband was not only struggling with his own addiction but also selling drugs to make money.
The trial is expected to take weeks and has already included testimony from Angels outfielder Mike Trout and team employees. The family of Tyler Skaggs is seeking $118 million in lost earnings, compensation for pain and suffering, and punitive damages against the team.
Eric Kay was convicted in 2022 of providing Skaggs with a counterfeit oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl and sentenced to 22 years in prison. His federal criminal trial in Texas included testimony from five MLB players who said they received oxycodone from him at various times from 2017 to 2019.
The revelations from Camela Kay's testimony are the latest development in a case that has highlighted the darker side of professional sports and the devastating consequences of substance abuse.
In a dramatic turn of events, Camela Kay, the ex-wife of Los Angeles Angels employee Eric Kay, took the stand in a civil trial Monday to testify that players and clubhouse attendants were passing pills and alcohol while partying on the team plane. This revelation comes as part of a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Tyler Skaggs' family against the Angels, alleging that the team should be held responsible for allowing a drug-addicted and dealing team communications director to stay on the job.
According to Kay, she had traveled on the team plane with her then-husband Eric Kay, who was convicted of providing drugs that led to Skaggs' overdose death in 2019. She claimed to have seen players engaging in reckless behavior, including partying, playing card games, and gambling, while also passing out pills or drinking excessively.
"They're treated like kings," Kay said, describing the behavior she observed on the team plane. "I had seen them passing out pills or drinking alcohol excessively."
Kay's testimony was significant, as it shed light on the alleged substance abuse issues within the Angels' organization during Skaggs' time with the team. She claimed that her then-husband was not only struggling with his own addiction but also selling drugs to make money.
The trial is expected to take weeks and has already included testimony from Angels outfielder Mike Trout and team employees. The family of Tyler Skaggs is seeking $118 million in lost earnings, compensation for pain and suffering, and punitive damages against the team.
Eric Kay was convicted in 2022 of providing Skaggs with a counterfeit oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl and sentenced to 22 years in prison. His federal criminal trial in Texas included testimony from five MLB players who said they received oxycodone from him at various times from 2017 to 2019.
The revelations from Camela Kay's testimony are the latest development in a case that has highlighted the darker side of professional sports and the devastating consequences of substance abuse.
i feel like what's even more heartbreaking is how the team knew about Eric Kay's addiction and did nothing to stop it or help him get treatment 
my heart goes out to Tyler Skaggs' family, $118 million in damages just isn't enough 
the players and staff on that plane were literally treated like they were invincible 
. I hope this trial sheds more light on how teams can support their players with addiction issues without enabling them to destroy themselves 
.
I mean, can you even believe what's going on with the LA Angels?! It's like they thought they were above the law or something. Passing pills and booze on the team plane? That's insane! And to think Eric Kay was selling those same meds to make a buck... it's just horrific. The whole thing is just so sad for Tyler Skaggs' family, especially his wife and kids. They're going through this tragedy and now they have to deal with the fact that his employer knew about all these problems but didn't do anything about it. It's like, what even is the point of having a team if you're just gonna enable this kind of behavior?! 
. I mean, come on, they're millionaires with nothing to lose... or so it seems 
. It's wild that Eric Kay's own addiction led him to sell fake pills to others, though - that's some messed up stuff 
. I guess you could say they're getting what's coming to them... or at least their wallet is going to take a hit 
this is insane the fact that players were passing pills out on the team plane like it was no big deal 
it makes me so angry that they allowed skaggs to continue working despite his addiction issues 
the family of tyler skaggs deserves justice not just a bunch of empty promises 
. I think they need to take responsibility for their actions and make sure they're supporting their players, not enabling them. It's like, if you're gonna let someone who's struggling with addiction stay on the job, you gotta have a plan in place to help them get back on track 
. And $118 million is just crazy 
... I'm all for fair compensation, but that's a lot of dough 
.
? Who wouldn't want to party with millions of dollars on the line? 
Not like it's any of anyone else's business what happens on the team plane, though 
. It's crazy how people can just pretend like they're living a normal life when really they're struggling with addiction. Camela Kay seems like someone who's been through a lot, you feel? She's gotta be speaking from the heart when she says that players were treated like kings on that team plane 
. Eric Kay was convicted of providing Skaggs with a fake pill laced with fentanyl, and now his ex-wife is coming forward to say that players were partying hard while he was struggling with addiction? It's like, where does the accountability end? 
.
It's like, one wrong move can lead to a whole chain reaction of problems.
... It's disgusting. And don't even get me started on Eric Kay getting away with selling fentanyl to his own teammates 
. This trial better be about more than just some rich people trying to avoid accountability - it should be about making sure no one else has to suffer like Skaggs' family did 
... I mean, can you believe what these players were doing on that team plane? 
It's crazy to think about how Eric Kay was struggling with his own addiction and selling drugs to make money while his ex-wife was still around. Like, what a messed up situation 
.
. I mean, you'd think that would be a no-go zone, but apparently not. The players are being treated like they're above the law, which is just messed up 
Players think they're above the law, but at what cost? Their lives & others' 
The idea that players on a team plane could just be partying like kings, with no regard for anyone else's well-being... it's wild to think about. I mean, Eric Kay was already struggling with addiction, but it's crazy that he thought selling drugs would help him cope. And then there's the fact that his own wife is coming forward now, sharing her side of things... it's like, what's going on behind closed doors? 
. I get that guys need to blow off steam, but this level of reckless behavior is just crazy 
. And on top of that, Eric Kay's conviction should've been a warning sign 
... how could they not have seen what was going down? It's a total shame for Skaggs' family and the league needs to step up their support systems 
The Angels' team plane partying culture is just another example of how far gone sports organizations can get when it comes to substance abuse 
! I mean, we all know baseball is a tough sport, but to think about players partying and getting wasted on the team plane? 
I'm all for a good celebration after a game win, but this is just out of control 
. The family of Tyler Skaggs deserves justice, and if that means holding the team accountable for enabling these issues, then so be it 
) and make sure something like this never happens again 
. And now, we're hearing from Mike Trout, one of the team's star players, who must have known about this going on and didn't say anything