Reds LHP Wade Miley denies connection to Tyler Skaggs’ drug use after report: ‘I was never a witness’

Sports

add

Veteran MLB pitcher Wade Miley has denied any wrongdoing after a report surfaced Thursday tying him to the drug use of former Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, who died in 2019 due to complications from opioid use.

The Athletic reported on new court filings in which Ryan Hamill, Skaggs’ former agent, claimed the pitcher told him he received prescription drugs from Miley while they played together on the Arizona Diamondbacks:

“He came clean,” Hamill testified. “He said he had been using — I believe it was Percocets —and he said he got them through Wade Miley.”

Advertisement

The filing was made as part of a motion from the Angels for summary judgment in the face of a $210 million lawsuit the Skaggs family has filed against the team.

Miley’s name also reportedly came up in the criminal proceedings against Eric Kay, the former Angels communications director convicted of providing Skaggs the drugs that killed him. In a recorded prison call played during his sentencing hearing, Kay reportedly told his mother that Miley had been a drug source for Skaggs.

Speaking Friday, Miley, now a member of the Cincinnati Reds told reporters he never witnessed any of “this,” taken to mean Skaggs’ drug use, and had previously never been accused of wrongdoing:

“I hate what happened to Tyler. It sucks. My thoughts are with his family and his friends, but I’m not going to sit here and talk about things that somebody might have said about me or whatnot.

“I was never a witness for any of this. I was never accused of any wrongdoing.”

Miley also said he didn’t believe the situation would be a distraction for him, but declined to answer questions about the truth of the allegations or if anyone from MLB has contacted him.

Advertisement

Skaggs died at the age of 27 while on a road trip in Texas with Angels on July 1, 2019. An autopsy concluded he accidentally died of asphyxia after choking on his own vomit while under the influence of fentanyl, oxycodone, and alcohol.

The tragedy revealed a darker side of the Angels organization, with Skaggs teammates Matt Harvey, Mike Morin, Cam Bedrosian and C.J. Cron all testifying Kay had supplied them with oxycodone pills. Harvey also received a 60-game suspension after admitting he had frequently exchanged pills with Skaggs.

Nearly six years later, the case is still alive in the pending legal action against the Angels organization, which has had to balance respecting Skaggs’ legacy while attempting to fight off a nine-figure lawsuit over their alleged negligence with him. Kay was sentenced to 22 years in prison after being found guilty in 2022 of distribution of controlled substances resulting in death and conspiracy to possess with intent distribute controlled substances.

Advertisement

Miley is a 15-year MLB veteran, holding a career 4.09 ERA across tenures with eight different teams. He was on the D-Backs with Skaggs for two seasons in 2012 and 2013, the early years of their careers.

Miley joined the Reds on a minor-league contract last winter, his second stint with the team, but struggled in the minors and opted out of his contract on June 1. However, he re-signed with the team three days later and made his season debut the same day.

This news was originally published on this post .

Share on

email

Previous

trending_flat

NASCAR in Mexico City: Where to watch, start time, stream, lineup, race preview for inaugural Viva Mexico 250

Sports

Next

trending_flat

What did Taylor Swift whisper to Travis Kelce at the Stanley Cup final? A lip reader has the answer

AFC West - English