The Los Angeles Dodgers have fired Shohei Ohtani's interpreter and close friend after his lawyer alleged that he committed “massive theft” from the Japanese baseball star in a sports betting-related lawsuit.
The Dodgers announced in a statement Wednesday that Ippei Mizuhara, who has been a constant presence at the two-way star's side since he moved to the United States, will no longer work with the team.
“The Dodgers are aware of the report and are gathering information. The team can confirm the dismissal of translator Ippei Mizuhara. The team has no further comment at this time,” the team said in a statement. This follows reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN.
Ohtani's lawyer, Burke Brettler, said in a statement: “In the course of responding to recent media interviews, we discovered that Shohei was the victim of grand theft and brought this matter to the authorities. I decided to hand it over.”
ESPN reported Wednesday night, citing anonymous sources, that Mizuhara's firing came after media questions about his alleged ties to illegal gambling. ESPN reported that the charges center on wire transfers worth at least $4.5 million from Ohtani's account that were allegedly paid to a Southern California bookbinding company that is under investigation by federal authorities.
NBC News has not independently confirmed those details.
ESPN reported that a spokesperson for Ohtani initially said the player intentionally transferred the funds to cover gambling debts of Mizuhara, a longtime friend and associate of Ohtani.
The same publicist organized a 90-minute interview between Mizuhara and ESPN on Tuesday night, during which Mizuhara explained his position.
He told ESPN that he has incurred debt betting on the NBA, NFL, college football and international soccer, but never on baseball, which is prohibited by MLB rules.
“Obviously he [Ohtani] He wasn't happy about it and said he would help me not to do it again,” Mizuhara said. “He decided to pay it back for me.”
“I want everyone to know that Shohei was never involved in gambling. I want people to know that I had no idea this was illegal. I learned my lesson the hard way. “I'll never do sports betting again,” he told ESPN.
However, as ESPN prepared to publish the story Wednesday, it announced that Ohtani's spokesperson denied Mizuhara's statement and said the player's attorney would issue a statement.
ESPN reported that Mizuhara changed his story on Wednesday and said he actually knew nothing about Ohtani's gambling debts and that Ohtani did not send money to bookmaker associates. According to an ESPN report, Mizuhara said Ohtani told him not to comment on whether he had been accused of theft, but he declined to say who had accused him.
NBC News reached out to the Dodgers' representatives for Ohtani and Mizuhara overnight for further comment.
Mizuhara has worked with Ohtani since his major debut in 2018.
After working as an interpreter for the Boston Red Sox, he returned to Japan in 2013 and met Otani. When Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Angels in 2017, the team hired Mizuhara as a personal interpreter. ESPN reported that Mizuhara told the program that he was paid between $300,000 and $500,000 a year.
It's already been an eventful week for the 29-year-old Ohtani, who has become the face of MLB's efforts to build its brand in Asia and one of the sport's biggest stars.
Despite South Korea's long-standing rivalry with Ohtani's home country of Japan, he was welcomed by a crowd of enthusiastic fans at the Dodgers' season-opening series in Seoul.
Authorities investigated a bomb threat against Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, where the Dodgers were playing against the San Diego Padres.
Since joining the Dodgers in December on a 10-year contract worth $700 million, the richest in baseball history, Ohtani has become one of the hottest players in world sports. He recently announced his surprise marriage and subsequently revealed the identity of his new wife on social media following huge interest from fans and media.
On the field, Ohtani's two hits helped the Dodgers beat the Padres 5-2 in the season opener in Seoul on Wednesday in his team debut.
In a press conference Thursday before Game 2 between the Dodgers and Padres, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts did not comment on the incident, but said Ohtani would play normally.
“Shohei is ready,” he said. “I'm ready for tonight's game.”
Sports betting is booming in the United States, with 38 states and the District of Columbia now allowing some form of wagering, and sports from the NFL to MLB increasingly embracing its lucrative potential. However, it remains illegal in California, and there are severe penalties for players who violate the league's policy on gambling.
MLB policies are posted in all locker rooms. It prohibits all players and team employees from betting on baseball, even if it is legal, and prohibits betting on other sports by illegal or offshore bookmakers.
Gambling on baseball carries a one-year ban, but penalties for illegal betting on other sports are at the commissioner's discretion.
