By: Kevin Fernandez, Enrique Rodriguez
March 27, 2024
Los Angeles– Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani announced that he was never involved in betting after his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara stole $4.5 Million from his bank account and sent it to a bookmaker.
After the Seoul series in South Korea against the San Diego Padres, the Dodgers fired Mizuhara after the news was announced that he made bets with a bookmaker with Ohtani’s money that he stole.
Mizuhara traveled as Ohtani’s interpreter for many years.
“I’m very saddened and shocked that someone who I trusted has done this,” Ohtani said.
Ohtani was supposed to address the media on Monday, but ESPN reporter Alden Gonzalez said that he would not take questions from the media and instead read a statement.
In the announcement, Ohtani was with interpreter Will Ireton to reveal what happened in the incident.
Ohtani revealed that Mizuhara had a gambling addiction and had a “massive debt” after his one-on-one meeting with the interpreter.
However, he had no idea about the scandal “until a couple of days ago”.
But he also said that the first time he knew about Mizuhara gambling was after the first game of the Seoul series in a team meeting on March 20.
“I started to feel there was something amiss,” Ohtani said.
Days later, on Friday, the MLB launched an investigation around Ohtani to see if he was involved in gambling with Mizuhara. But Ohtani said that he was never involved in gambling.
“I want to make it clear that I never betted on sports or have willfully sent money to the bookmaker,” Ohtani said.
It was revealed that it was Mizuhara that told Ohtani’s representatives that Ohtani was paying off those debts. So, in other words, Mizuhara lied to Ohtani and the Dodgers organization.
However, it was revealed that Mizuhara admitted that he was using Ohtani’s bank account to make bets to the bookmaker.
Ohtani said that he never agreed to pay off Mizuhara’s payments to the bookmaker.
He would then contact his representatives after that moment.
“When I was finally able to talk to my representatives, that’s when my representatives found out that Ippei has been lying the whole time and that’s when I started contacting the Dodgers and my lawyers,” Ohtani said. “And the Dodgers and the lawyers at that moment found out also as well that they have been lied to.”
Ohtani ended his announcement that he is staying focused on the upcoming season.
“I’m going to obviously let my lawyers handle matters from here on out,” he said. “I am completely assisting in all investigations that are taking place right now.”
He did not take any questions from reporters.
The Dodgers will continue their regular season at home against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday at 1:10 p.m
