DETROIT — One day after his name surfaced in a report about court filings for a lawsuit by the family of the late Angels pitcher, Tyler Skaggs, Reds starting pitcher Wade Miley briefly addressed the issue on Friday.
The Athletic reported Thursday that the Angels filed for a summary judgment that the Skaggs’ family lawsuit should be dismissed. Included was a deposition from Skaggs’ former agent, Ryan Hamill, who testified that Skaggs received prescription drugs from Miley when they were teammates on the Diamondbacks.
“I hate what happened to Tyler, it sucks. My thoughts are with his family and his friends,” Miley said at Comerica Park. “But I’m not going to sit here and talk about things that someone might have said about me or whatnot. I was never a witness for any of this. I was never accused of any wrongdoing.”
Former Angels communications director Eric Kay is serving a 22-year prison sentence in Texas after being found guilty of two counts of charges relating to his providing the drugs that led to Skaggs’ death from an overdose.
Skaggs died in his Dallas-area hotel room on July 1, 2019, at the age of 27. An autopsy report found he had fentanyl, oxycodone and alcohol in his system.
The Athletic reported that a recorded prison phone call prosecutors filed during Kay’s criminal proceedings included a conversation where he told his mother that Miley was a drug source for Skaggs.
Miley and Skaggs were teammates in Arizona during the 2012-13 seasons.
A veteran pitcher in his 15th big league season, Miley signed a Minor League contract with the Reds in February and exercised his opt-out clause on June 1. An injury to Hunter Greene had Cincinnati bring back Miley on a one-year, $2.5 million prorated big league deal on June 4.
Miley made his season debut that same day in relief and he threw five innings for his first victory on June 9. His next start is Sunday vs. the Tigers. The 38-year-old would only take questions about baseball from reporters and declined to discuss the Skaggs family lawsuit any further.
When asked if the issue would be a distraction, Miley said: “No, I’m going to get my work done and try to help the Cincinnati Reds.”
Miley also declined to comment on whether Major League Baseball officials have contacted him about the allegations.
“I’d rather just focus on the Cincinnati Reds right now and baseball and what I have to do moving forward. I’ve got to get ready for a game on Sunday,” Miley said.
