Halladay's wife: Roy was addicted to painkillers late in career with Phillies
Brandy Halladay, the wife of the late Roy Halladay, confirmed in a soon-to-be-released book that the Hall of Fame pitcher took two separate trips to rehab facilities while he battled an addiction to painkillers late in his career with the Philadelphia Phillies and in retirement.
"It broke my heart to see him like that," Brandy told Todd Zolecki in "Doc: The Life of Roy Halladay," according to Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun. "It was endless, the things we wanted to do and then he would get hurt. And, all of a sudden, he's spending all of his time trying to make himself feel better. He fought to live a healthy, functional life, but it wasn’t easy."
A National Transportation and Safety Board report released in mid-April showed that Halladay had high levels of amphetamines, a high level of morphine, and an anti-depressant that could have impaired his judgment in his system at the time of his fatal 2017 plane crash. The NTSB report also noted that the pitcher received inpatient rehab treatment in 2013 and 2015 for abusing opioids and benzodiazepines, according to ESPN.
Brandy admits in the book that she didn't want him to fly until he had his issues under control.
"Until I knew he was OK, I just didn't want him doing it," she said. "He just needed to get everything else under control and focus on some other things. It was the last thing we needed to do was spend more money and have more hobbies.
"We would talk about it all the time. It was an unnecessary risk."
She added, "He struggled a lot with depression. He struggled a lot with anxiety. Social anxiety. He never felt like he was good enough or funny enough or liked. He was a sad spirit, but I don't want that to overshadow all the great times."
Halladay was inducted posthumously into Cooperstown in July 2019. The eight-time All-Star posted a combined 203-105 record with a career 3.38 ERA while pitching for the Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays. He won the AL Cy Young in 2003 and the NL Cy Young in 2010.