Since when does a respected Director of Communications in the Los Angeles Angels’ management for 23 years sell illegal drugs to the 27-year-0ld pitcher? And why?
Isn’t the “PR guy” supposed to put a good face on bad news, not be the bad news?
Photo courtesy of wwlp.com
Not surprisingly, Wikipedia defines corporate communications as the management and orchestration of internal and external messages to its audiences of employees, media, channel partners and the general public … to transmit coherence, credibility and ethics.
During Tyler Skaggs’ memorial from a drug overdose death July 1, his PR guy, Eric Kay tweeted “No words. #45.” To the #Angels fans that held a candlelight vigil last night upon team’s arrival home, “You are amazing and I’m sure Tyler smiled down. #RIP45.”
Unfortunately though, Mr. Skaggs was not the only one with the drug problem. The two, and allegedly other players, had an “I buy, you fly” relationship that kept them both supplied with the opioid oxycodone for several years. Mr. Kay himself was hospitalized in April for a drug overdose. According to ESPN, the 45-year-old Mr. Kay “is currently in outpatient treatment for substance abuse and on paid leave from his Angels’ job.”
Struck Out
In the Los Angeles Times, Mr. Kay reportedly told investigators about two team officials that he informed of Mr. Skaggs’ drug use, one of whom was Mr. Kay’s longtime mentor and Vice President of Communications Tim Mead. Say what? Mr. Mead left the Angels this year to become President of the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY.
Sports Illustrated reported that, “Kay admitted even witnessing Skaggs snort lines of opioids in Texas on the day of his death.”
The Mayo Clinic explains that abuse of opioids like oxycodone and fentanyl often begins after surgeries, when the drugs may be prescribed to the patient. “Opioids are highly addictive and your risk of addiction is increased after taking the drug for just a few days.” Mr. Skaggs had TJ Surgery in 2014 and didn’t pitch at all in the 2015 season.
According to CNN, “fentanyl is the most commonly used drug involved in overdoses. The rate of drug overdoses involving the synthetic opioid skyrocketed by about 113% each year from 2013 through 2016.”
Why didn’t the PR guys balk? Why didn’t they cry foul? Why didn’t they run, or even walk Mr. Skaggs into drug rehab? Shouldn’t a past surgery and opioid prescriptions be “reasonable cause” to test for continued opioid use? What was the responsibility of management to keep a major league pitcher … safe?
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