The Los Angeles Dodgers fired superstar slugger Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, after he allegedly stole $4.5 million from Ohtani and spent it on an illegal gambling operation, ESPN reported Wednesday.
Reporters asked Mizuhara about a number of wire transfers from Ohtani’s account, and he initially told ESPN during a 90-minute interview on Tuesday that Ohtani transferred the funds to cover Mizuhara’s gambling debts.
“Obviously, he wasn’t happy about it and said he would help me out to make sure I never do this again. He decided to pay it off for me,” Mizuhara told ESPN. “I want everyone to know Shohei had zero involvement in betting. I want people to know I did not know this was illegal. I learned my lesson the hard way. I will never do sports betting ever again.”
But an Ohtani spokesman swiftly contradicted Mizuhara’s claims. Ohtani’s lawyers then released a statement.
“In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft, and we are turning the matter over to the authorities,” lawyers Berk Brettler LLP said, according to ESPN.
Mizuhara then quickly changed his tune, telling ESPN that Ohtani had “no knowledge” of his gambling, despite the fact that Ohtani’s name was on multiple wire transfers to an associate of bookmaker Matthew Bowyer, according to ESPN.
Bowyer’s lawyers claimed they never spoke with Ohtani, the outlet noted.
Mizuhara eventually came clean and reportedly faced the Dodgers locker room after their opening day win in South Korea on Wednesday. (RELATED: Shohei Ohtani Hits Oppo Taco Bomb In Dodgers Debut)
“Obviously, this is all my fault, everything I’ve done,” he claimed, according to ESPN. “I’m ready to face all the consequences.”
A rough timeline:
– Ohtani rep goes on record W/ESPN stating Ohtani transferred $4.5MM himself to bookmaker on behalf of Ippei.
– Spokesperson for Ohtani delivers Ippei to ESPN for statement. Ippei says Ohtani NEVER bet & felt bad for him & paid off his debt so he’d never do…
— Dallas Braden (@DALLASBRADEN209) March 20, 2024
This whole story is absolutely insane. I can’t figure out how I feel about it. Mizuhara and Ohtani are reportedly extremely close. The former has served as Ohtani’s interpreter since he came to America in 2018. He’s accompanied him closely on every road trip, interview, public speaking gig and more. Dodgers folks referred to them as “brothers.” Do we really believe his best friend in America would steal so much money from him, throwing away not only a deep friendship, but also a super lucrative gig? Mizuhara made somewhere between $300,000 and $500,000 a year as Ohtani’s interpreter, according to ESPN. He threw that all away to bet on soccer? I don’t know if I buy it.
Hey, it’s possible. Gambling is a real addiction. It can grip you. I get that. But it’s also possible that Mizuhara is taking the fall for his best friend, who just signed a $700 million dollar deal that would be at risk if he were caught illegally gambling.
Gambling on baseball is illegal for all MLB players but gambling on other sports wouldn’t be illegal; however, Mizuhara is accused of working with an illegal bookmaker, as sports gambling is still illegal in California.
I suspect we haven’t heard the last of this saga, as the bookmaking operation is under a federal investigation now, according to ESPN. We’ll see if Ohtani presses charges against his (now former?) best friend. Or if it comes out that Ohtani was indeed involved in the sprawling scandal. (RELATED: MLB Team Loses Opening Game Because Of Hole In First Baseman’s Glove)
Ohtani himself declined to comment after his Dodgers’ Thursday loss to the Padres, and was reportedly closely guarded by PR folks after the game.
“Dodgers PR guarded Ohtani’s locker as he changed, then told reporters he would not be speaking,” the Washington Post’s Chelsea Janes tweeted Thursday morning.
Dodgers PR guarded Ohtani’s locker as he changed, then told reporters he would not be speaking. When reporters surrounded his locker, asking if he had a second anyway, he walked by and out of the clubhouse saying what the Japanese reporters translated as “have a good night.”
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) March 21, 2024
We’ll be keeping our eye on this one for sure.