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sports Diahuebs 17 Februari 2022

At Skaggs trial, 4 MLB players testify they received drugs

(AP) — Four major league and other sources. They also Of the four players, only
players testified Tuesday said the use of oxycodone Cron is on a major league
that they received oxyco- was common around the roster (Colorado Rockies).
done pills from a former majors, an unsettling image The others are free agents;
Los Angeles Angels em- for a league just a generation Harvey, who played last year
ployee accused of provid- removed from its devastating for the Orioles, said he be-
ing Tyler Skaggs the drugs steroids era. lieves his testimony will
that led to the pitcher’s threaten his career. Andrew
overdose death. The defense, which is disput- Heaney, one of Skaggs’ clos-
ing the prosecution’s conten- est friends with the Angels
Pitchers Matt Harvey, Mike tion that Kay delivered drugs and now under contract with
Morin and Cam Bedrosian to Skaggs after the team trav- the rival Los Angeles Dodg-
and first baseman C.J. Cron eled to Texas, opens its case ers, was the first government
all took the stand and de- Wednesday in downtown witness last week.
scribed bits and pieces of rec- Fort Worth. The federal court
reational drug use allegedly is about 15 miles from the Skaggs, 27, was found dead
going on in and around the home of the Texas Rangers July 1, 2019, the day after the the last time Kay gave him attorney Michael Molfetta
Angels three years ago, when where the Angels were sup- team had traveled from Los drugs was before the team asked Harvey if he ever asked
they played for the team. posed to play the day Skaggs’ Angeles and before the start left. Skaggs to be careful.
They were with the Angels body was found. of a series against the Rang-
at some point from 2017-19, ers. A coroner’s report said Harvey said Skaggs had an- Harvey said he found out
the years federal prosecutors After saying he was sub- Skaggs had choked to death other source but didn’t get Skaggs had died when he
say Eric Kay obtained drugs poenaed and testifying only on his vomit, and a toxic mix many drugs from that source. woke up July 1 and threw
for players. Kay faces drug because he has immunity of alcohol, fentanyl and oxy- Harvey said he had his own away the remaining oxyco-
distribution and drug con- from prosecution, Harvey codone were in his system. drug supplier on the East done pills he had, even be-
spiracy charges. acknowledged being a co- Coast, and said he got oxy- fore knowing anything about
caine user before and during Kay served as the team’s pub- codone for Skaggs from that the cause of death.
Prosecutors rested their case his season with the Angels in lic relations contact on many supplier.
to finish the most dramatic 2019. The former New York road trips, and the trip to Cron said he received pills
day of the weeklong trial, Mets star said he tried oxy- Texas was his first since re- Harvey said Skaggs asked for from Kay while with the
which included testimony codone provided by Skaggs turning from rehab. Kay was pills before a road trip in June Angels in 2017 and was still
from Skaggs’ widow about during his season with the placed on leave shortly after 2019 because he wanted to getting them from him after
the last time she saw her Angels and also provided Skaggs’ death and never re- feel “loosey-goosey” before a going to Tampa Bay in 2018.
husband and the last text she drugs to Skaggs. turned to the team. start. Harvey said Skaggs told He said Kay was his only sup-
received from him the night him he once crushed an oxy- plier.
before he was found dead in a Morin and Cron testified Prosecutors are trying to es- codone pill and snorted it on
suburban Dallas hotel room. to longer periods of getting tablish that Kay was the only a toilet paper dispenser in the Kay faces a minimum sen-
oxycodone from Kay, while one who could have provided Angels’ clubhouse. tence of 20 years in prison
Skaggs’ emotional appear- Bedrosian said he received the drugs that led to Skaggs’ and maximum of life on the
ance came after her hus- three or four pills once and death, and that the drugs The defense asked Harvey distribution charge result-
band’s former teammates gave the rest back after taking were delivered after the team and Morin if they were aware ing in death. The conspiracy
spent the morning explaining one and not liking the way it arrived in Texas. The defense of the danger of mixing al- count carries a maximum of
their own drug use, how they made him feel. counters that Skaggs had cohol and oxycodone, and 20 years.
got drugs from Kay, Skaggs multiple suppliers, and that they said they were. Defense

Valieva listed 2 legal oxygen boosters on Olympic forms

(AP) — Two legal sub- Valieva case stating that the cently tried, without success, in a hearing on Valieva’s case agency at first suspended her,
stances used to improve mention on the form of to get placed on the banned was authentic. The people then lifted the suspension.
heart function were listed L-carnitine and Hypoxen, list. L-carnitine, another ox- spoke on condition of ano- That led WADA and the IOC
on an anti-doping control though both legal, undercuts ygen-boosting performance nymity because the docu- to appeal to the Court of Ar-
form filled out for Russian the argument that a banned enhancer, is banned if inject- ment was not publicly avail- bitration for Sport, which de-
figure skater Kamila Va- substance, trimetazidine, ed above certain thresholds. able. WADA did not immedi- termined Valieva could skate
lieva before her drug case might have entered the skat- The supplement was the fo- ately respond to an email left in the women’s event that
at the Olympics erupted, er’s system accidentally. cal point of the doping case by the AP asking for com- began Tuesday.
according to documents involving track coach Alberto ment on the brief.
submitted on her behalf. Hypoxen, a drug designed to Salazar. Because she is 15, she is con-
increase oxygen flow to the The brief describes Valieva’s sidered a “protected person”
The World Anti-Doping heart, was a substance the Combining those with 2.1 mother as arguing that the under anti-doping rules and
Agency filed a brief in the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency re- nanograms of the heart med- skater’s grandfather was a could escape major sanctions.
icine trimetazidine, the drug regular user of trimetazidine, Her coaches and other mem-
found in Valieva’s system af- which would explain how bers of her entourage are
ter a Dec. 25 test, is “an in- it got into her system. But subject to automatic investi-
dication that something more WADA said that explanation gation and bigger penalties.
serious is going on,” USADA was not enough to clear her
CEO Travis Tygart said. of a doping violation. The larger case involving the
positive test, and resolving
“You use all of that to increase The brief also says Valieva’s whether Russia will get its
performance,” he said. “It to- mother testified that her gold medal, will be decided
tally undermines the cred- daughter used Hypoxen to later. In the meantime, the
ibility” of Valieva’s defense. treat “heart variations.” IOC has said there will be no
medal ceremony for events
Two people with knowledge Valieva’s positive test came in which Valieva makes the
of the case told The Associ- to light after she had led the podium. She’s a favorite for
ated Press that a brief seen by Russians to a gold medal in gold, and was leading after
the AP that was filed by the the team skating event last the short program.
World Anti-Doping Agency week. Russia’s anti-doping