Ex-MLB player Royce Clayton breaks down on stand during civil trial over fatal LA car crash

LOS ANGELES (CN) — On the stand Friday, former Major League Baseball player Royce Clayton detailed a four-minute phone call he had with former MLB pitcher Scott Erickson, 15 to 20 minutes after a 2020 car crash that took the lives of two young brothers.

Clayton had been dining with Erickson and his then-girlfriend Rebecca Grossman before the fatal crash and had agreed to drive to Grossman’s house in separate cars. Clayton — a journeyman shortstop who played for 11 different teams over the course of 17 seasons and a longtime friend of Erickson’s — said Erickson told him not to come in the phone call, and that there had been an accident.

Grossman is now serving 15 years-to-life in prison for hitting and killing 11-year-old Mark Iskander and his 8-year-old brother Jacob, after being convicted of two counts of second-degree murder in 2024. The Iskander family, now suing civilly, accuse Grossman and Erickson of “racing” back to the house, resulting in the crash.

“You can say racing,” Clayton testified. “I don’t know if he used the word racing. But they were traveling at a high rate of speed. She was directly behind him. And he said as he came up to the crosswalk, he saw the children —”

At that moment, Clayton became overcome with emotion and broke down crying. The judge called for a break. After the break, he clarified that Erickson told Clayton that he “swerved” to avoid the two boys, then looked back in his rearview mirror and saw Grossman’s white Mercedes SUV smash into the Iskander brothers.

Erickson proceeded on to Grossman’s house as planned, where he saw her daughter. He then decided, according to Clayton, “to jog back to the scene of the incident.”

“He told me he was on the side of the road in a bush,” Clayton said told Brian Panish, attorney for the Iskander family.

Witnesses have testified that Erickson and Grossman were driving dangerously fast down the two-lane street as they approached the fateful intersection. Data retrieved from Grossman’s car indicates it was going at speeds of up to 81 miles per hour. Some of the witnesses have said that the two appeared to be “racing," playfully weaving between lanes, a characterization defense attorneys have denied.

Clayton has told his story countless times, to investigators, private detectives and attorneys, both informally and under oath, during multiple depositions. He also testified during Grossman’s criminal trial. Much of his previous testimony has centered on how many drinks Grossman and Erickson had at the Mexican restaurant they were all dining at — one and two, respectively.

Friday’s testimony, though, centered around whether or not Erickson said they were racing. Clayton has at times used that word, in the past. But on Friday, he said he couldn’t recall if Erickson had said it.

“To me it doesn’t matter,” he told Panish, appearing to become frustrated. “Maybe he said racing. Maybe he told me a high rate of speed. I don’t care.”

He grew even more agitated under cross-examination by Erickson’s attorney, Jeff Braun, telling him, perhaps with some sarcasm, that maybe what Erickson really said was, “‘We’re fucking flying down the street.’ How’s that?”

“Did he tell you he was racing?” Braun asked.

“No,” Clayton said. “Maybe not. I don’t recall.”

“So you don’t recall his words,” Braun said.

Clayton rolled his eyes, then admitted he did not recall the exact words Erickson used. But, he later added, “driving highway speed, racing, however you want to say it. Scott told me exactly what they were doing.”

Clayton also remains ambivalent about Erickson. He has suggested that their friendship ended after the incident, and that he blamed his old friend for not taking “accountability” — Erickson never went to the police, and may have even taken steps to hide what vehicle he was driving that night.

Erickson was charged with reckless driving, and avoided jail time by agreeing to take part in a public service announcement about safe driving.

“I don’t speak to Scott anymore,” Clayton told Panish. “Unless I see him in a social setting.”

Clayton then turned inward, suggesting he had a role to play in their break.

“Maybe the way I initially handled the situation and going to the police possibly didn’t sit well with him,” Clayton said. “There’s two sides to it.”

He added later, during cross-examination, “To this day, I still consider Scott Erickson a friend.”

Now in its second week, the trial is expected to two months. Erickson himself will likely take the stand at some point, the first time he has ever publicly discussed his role in the fatal collision.

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