SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — The president of the Los Angeles Angels baseball team testified Friday in a wrongful death lawsuit that the fatal overdose of pitcher Tyler Skaggs was tough for the club and he wished he had known sooner about drug use by the player and one of the team's employees.
John Carpino, president of the Angels since 2009, made the comments during the final moments of defense testimony in a long-running trial in California over whether the MLB team should be held responsible for Skaggs' death. Carpino told jurors that Skaggs and team communications director Eric Kay, who was convicted of providing Skaggs a fentanyl-laced pill that led to his 2019 death, were both addicts and distributed drugs too.
“Knowing what we know now, I wish we would have heard,” Carpino said.
Closing arguments are scheduled for Monday in the lawsuit filed by Skaggs' family contending the team knew or should have known Kay was addicted to drugs and dealing to players. Angels’ lawyers have argued team officials didn’t know Skaggs was taking drugs and any activity involving Skaggs and Kay happened on their own time and in the privacy of the player’s hotel room on a team trip to Texas.
The trial, which began in October, has included testimony from players including Angels outfielder Mike Trout, team employees, and Skaggs' widow, Carli, and parents.
It’s been six years since 27-year-old Skaggs was found dead in the suburban Dallas hotel room where he was staying as the Angels were supposed to open a four-game series against the Texas Rangers. A coroner’s report said the left-handed pitcher choked to death on his vomit and a toxic mix of alcohol, fentanyl and oxycodone was found in his system.
Kay was convicted in 2022 of providing Skaggs with a counterfeit oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl and sentenced to 22 years in federal prison. His federal criminal trial in Texas included testimony from five MLB players who said they received oxycodone from Kay at various times from 2017 to 2019, the years he was accused of obtaining pills and giving them to Angels players.
During the civil trial, witnesses described Kay’s erratic behavior at the stadium and incidents leading to his attending drug rehabilitation before heading out on the trip to Texas. Kay’s now-ex-wife, Camela Kay told jurors the team failed her husband, who worked lengthy hours, and that during his 2019 hospitalization for a drug overdose, she heard he had pills intended for Skaggs.
Skaggs had been a regular in the Angels’ starting rotation since late 2016 and struggled with injuries repeatedly during that time. He previously played for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
After Skaggs’ death, the MLB reached a deal with the players association to start testing for opioids and to refer those who test positive to the treatment board.
FILE - Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout gestures toward a photo of Tyler Skaggs in center field prior to a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers in Anaheim, Calif., on July 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza has won the Maxwell and Davey O'Brien awards on the eve of the Heisman Trophy presentation, and the redshirt junior is heavily favored to take the top prize in college football.
Mendoza took the honors for the nation's player of the year and top QB on ESPN's college awards show on Friday night. The Heisman winner will be named Saturday night in New York, and Mendoza is an overwhelming favorite, according to BetMGM.
The Maxwell and O'Brien honors came a day after Mendoza was named The Associated Press player of the year.
The California transfer led the Hoosiers to a 13-0 record, a victory over Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game and the top seed in the College Football Playoff. Indiana's first O'Brien winner set a program record with an FBS-leading 33 touchdown passes.
“It's a wonderful feeling. It really doesn't feel real,” Mendoza said from New York after being named the O'Brien winner. “It's a testament to so many people who believed in me, who have helped groom me into the player I am today and all those people, especially before anybody knew my name.”
Mendoza won the O'Brien over Ohio State freshman Julian Sayin and Texas A&M's Marcel Reed, two other quarterbacks getting ready to lead their teams in the CFP.
The Maxwell nod for Mendoza came over Sayin and Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love, who was that storied program's first Doak Walker Award winner as the nation's premier running back. Love set a school record with 21 touchdowns.
Mendoza is Indiana's second Maxwell winner after running back Anthony Thompson in 1989.
Mendoza's coach, Curt Cignetti, was named coach of the year for the second consecutive season. The Hoosiers had their first undefeated regular season since 1945, won the Big Ten for the first time in 58 years and ended a 37-year losing streak to the Buckeyes. The win over Ohio State earned Indiana its first No. 1 AP ranking.
Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the defensive player of the year. He was already the Bronko Nagurski Award winner, also for the best defensive player.
Southern California's Makai Lemon was named the Fred Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation's top receiver. He was in the top 10 nationally with 1,156 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns.
Ohio State safety Caleb Downs was named the Jim Thorpe Award winner as the top defensive back, and Utah offensive lineman Spencer Fano won the Outland Trophy as the best interior lineman.
Oklahoma's Tate Sandell won the Lou Groza Award as the best kicker, and Georgia's Brett Thorson took the Ray Guy Award as the top punter. Both programs are headed to the CFP.
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FILE - Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (4) carries the ball during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
FILE - Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza warms up before an NCAA college football game against Iowa, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
