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Source: Jason Armond / Getty / Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani is doubling down on being hoodwinked, bamboozled, and led astray by his interpreter in this ongoing and still developing gambling scandal.
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ $700 million man, Shohei Ohtani, wants the world to know he did not bet on baseball or any other sport and that his translator, Ippei Mizuhara, lied and stole more than $4 million to cover his gambling debts.
Spotted on Yahoo! Sports, Ohtani finally broke his silence with a nearly 12-minute statement on the matter after Mizuhara was fired as his translator following accusations he stole money from the MLB superstar via wire transfers.
Per Yahoo! Sports:
“I am very saddened and shocked someone I trusted has done this,” Ohtani said through an interpreter at the beginning of his statement. He then denied being involved in sports gambling in any form.
“I never bet on baseball or any other sports or never have asked somebody to do that on my behalf,” he said. “And I have never been through a bookmaker to bet on sports. …
“Up until a couple days ago, I didn’t know that this was happening. … In conclusion, Ippei has been stealing money from my account and has told lies.”
Ohtani also denied knowingly paying off any alleged gambling debts.
“To the representatives in my camp, Ippei told the media and representatives that I, on behalf of a friend, paid off debt,” he said. “Upon further questioning, it was revealed that it was actually in fact Ippei who was in debt and told my representatives that I was paying off those debts.
“All of this has been a complete lie.”
Shohei Ohtani Claims He Had No Idea About His Interpretrer’s Gambling Issues
Ohtani also claims that Mizhura was telling a big lie when he told the Dodgers organization that he was in communication with Ohtani about the incident.
The slugger/pitcher claims he first learned about his interpreter’s gambling issues during a team meeting after the Dodgers played the San Diego Padres in South Korea.
Ohtani claims he and Mizhura had a “one-on-one” meeting at their hotel.
“Up until that team meeting, I didn’t know that Ippei had a gambling addiction and was in debt,” Ohtani said. “Obviously, I never agreed to pay off the debt or make payments to the bookmaker.”
“And it was revealed to me during that meeting, Ippei admitted he was sending money using my account to the bookmaker,” he said. “And at that moment, it was an absurd thing that was happening, and I contacted my representatives at that point.”
People Are Still Skeptical
Ohtani is adamant he did not bet on MLB or any sports, but many people are calling it a cap on the idea that he had no idea about the $4 million wire transfers.
ESPN First Take contributor and sports talk radio legend Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo does not buy what Ohtani is selling outright. On his show, he believes that Ohtani’s interpreter stole the money and that the Dodgers’ superstar is guilty of being a “good friend and some poor judgement.”
We are intrigued to see how this situation pans out. The MLB is currently investigating. Until then, you can see more reactions in the gallery below.
1. Very unserious
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Shohei Ohtani, one of the top talents in the MLB today, announced a new deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend that has baseball fans stunned and reacting to the big news in various ways. Shohei Ohtani signed with the Dodgers for 10 years and $700 million, a cause of concern for some considering the two-play superstar has had surgeries.
ESPN reports Ohtani, 29, will sign with the Dodgers and while an official breakdown from the team about the contract is still presumably in the works, an outlet of ESPN’s stature wouldn’t come forth with their additional report without confirming some facts. With the deal, Ohtani, who hails from Japan, was awarded the richest contract in North American sports ever.
“Shohei Ohtani’s deal with the Dodgers is for 10 years and $700 million,” wrote ESPN’s Jeff Passan via X, formerly Twitter. He added, “Shohei Ohtani’s contract has significant deferrals that include most of his salary — an idea, a source said, that was Ohtani’s. In deferring the money, it reduces the cost of the competitive-balance-tax hit and will allow the Dodgers to build a better team around him.”
The news was big enough that even Shams Charania, who typically breaks news on the NBA, had to share with his massive audience the size and scope of the deal.
Ohtani’s credentials as a pitcher and DH cannot be put under scrutiny as he’s proven over the past three seasons with the Los Angeles Angels. Ohtani has won the AL MVP twice and did so unanimously this past season with a .304 batting average along with 44 home runs and 95 RBIs. He also started 23 games as a pitcher, winning 10 games with a 3.14 ERA. With the Angels, Ohtani’s numbers have averaged 30 home runs and 90 RBIs.
In addition to his talent, concerns have been raised around Ohtani getting a version of Tommy John surgery to repair an ulnar collateral ligament tear. It is the second surgery he’s had over the past five years according to reports. Still, Ohtani is on track to resume his dominance on the diamond, and given that he has the highest-selling jersey among MLB players, he’ll have several adoring Dodgers fans sporting the apparel here in the States and abroad.
As mentioned above, Ohtani shared the news first with his 6 million fans on Instagram but didn’t share a ton of details.
From Instagram:
First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved with the Angels organization and the fans who have supported me over the past six years, as well as to everyone involved with each team that was part of this negotiation process. Especially to the Angels fans who supported me through all the ups and downs, your guys’ support and cheer meant the world to me. The six years I spent with the Angels will remain etched in my heart forever.
Check out reactions from MLB Twitter below.
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Photo: John McCoy / Getty
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