Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani says he is “saddened” and “shocked” by recent gambling revelations by Ippei Mizuhara, his once trusted interpreter and confidant, and says he has made illegal bets on sports. He denied doing so or paying money to illegal bookmakers.
“I have never bet on baseball or any other sport, and I have never asked anyone to bet on my behalf,” Ohtani said Monday afternoon, when he first addressed the scandal. told. “I have never used a bookmaker to bet on sports.”
Speaking for 10 minutes with new interpreter Will Ireton in between, Ohtani confirmed the timeline of events laid out by his representatives. Ohtani said he didn't know about Mizuwon's gambling addiction until last Wednesday's clubhouse meeting after a game in South Korea. He also denied having anyone place illegal bets on his behalf.
“I am beyond shocked,” Otani said, but did not respond to questions after issuing the extension statement. “It's hard to explain in words how I feel at the moment.”
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When Otani last addressed the nation, Mizuhara stood by his side. Mizuhara served as an interpreter for Ohtani after the team's first game in Seoul, South Korea, last Wednesday. Mizuhara addressed the team at a meeting shortly before serving as Ohtani's final interpreter and revealed he had a gambling problem, according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to speak candidly. Later that night, Ohtani's attorney released a statement accusing Mizuhara of “mass theft,” and the Dodgers promptly fired the interpreter.
“Until that team meeting, I didn't know that Ippei had a gambling problem or that he was in debt,” Ohtani said.
The Los Angeles Times first reported that Ohtani's name was on a wire transfer to Matthew Bowyer, a suspected bookmaker who is under investigation by federal authorities. ESPN reports that the amount is at least $4.5 million. Mizuhara claims the transfer covered his debts.
Mizuhara provided contradictory accounts to ESPN last week. In his first interview, he outlined how Otani lent money to Mizuhara after learning of the problem, despite his aversion to gambling. In an interview after the Dodgers fired him, Mizuhara recanted his previous statements and claimed that Ohtani knew nothing about gambling. In both testimonies, Mizuhara said he had never bet on baseball.
The same pattern of events followed in Otani's case. Otani said the media started asking questions about wire transfers last week, but Mizuhara never relayed any such messages. During a speech in the Dodgers' clubhouse, Ohtani said Mizuhara spoke in English. Otani said, “I could kind of understand what was going on, and then I started to feel that something was wrong.''
Otani said it wasn't until further questioning during a one-on-one conversation later that night that it became clear that Mizuhura had racked up debts. According to Ohtani, that was also when Mizura admitted to using star players' accounts to make payments to bookmakers.
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“At that point, I contacted my agent because there was clearly something absurd going on at that moment,” Ohtani said, repeating that he never agreed to the payment.
On Friday evening, after two days of deliberation, Major League Baseball announced that its Bureau of Investigation had begun an investigation into the situation. Otani is currently facing no disciplinary action. The IRS has also launched a federal investigation into Mizuhara.
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(Top photo of Shohei Otani: Harry How/Getty Images)
