Shohei Ohtani's longtime translator has been fired after being accused of stealing allegedly worth millions of dollars from the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Otani's lawyers reportedly argued that Ippei Mizuhara used the two-way genius's funds to place bets with illegal bookmaker Matthew Bowyer, who is currently under federal investigation.
Dodgers spokesperson told the Times Immediately after news broke that Mr. Mizuhara had been fired.
From the Times:
“In the course of responding to recent media interviews, we discovered that Shohei was the victim of a grand theft and have decided to refer this matter to authorities,” West Hollywood law firm Burke Buttler said in a statement. said.
Mizuhara was working in South Korea until last night, serving as an interpreter for Ohtani after the Dodgers opened the MLB season with a 5-2 win over the San Diego Padres. Yoshinobu Yamamoto has used his own interpreter since signing with the team, so the Dodgers will likely look for an in-house talent to replace Mizuhara.
Ohtani's interpreter says the Dodgers star paid off $4.5 million in gambling debts, but then things went awry.
A subsequent ESPN report revealed more of the behind-the-scenes situation, but also raised more questions.
Otani's camp brought Mizuhara to an interview in South Korea on Tuesday night, where he reportedly claimed that Mizuhara had agreed to repay at least $4.5 million in gambling debts he incurred last year. Mr. Mizuhara claimed that he had placed bets through DraftKings before meeting Mr. Bowyer, saying he believed him to be a legitimate bookmaker.
From ESPN:
“I'm terrible [at gambling.] I will never do that again. “I never won any money, so I dug a hole for myself and the hole kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger bets had to be made to get out of it. We just kept losing,” Mizuhara said. It's like a snowball effect. ”
Presumably, upon learning of this, Otani became dissatisfied and agreed to pay Bowyer's colleague himself rather than give the money to Mizuhara. This payment was supposed to be a loan to Mizuhara, who was reportedly earning between $300,000 and $500,000 a year under Ohtani, and the telegram description does not include the word “loan.” Ta.
However, when asked about the account, Mizuhara's camp reportedly denied it, with Mizuhara telling ESPN the next day that Otani knew nothing about the gambling debt and did not send the money. Told. At issue are claims that Ohtani was directly involved in the payments, which led to the involvement of his legal team.
When an ESPN reporter asked the Otani camp about Mr. Mizuhara's claim that Otani was present, assisted in the transfer of funds, and was planning to repay the money, a spokesperson contacted Otani's lawyer and said that Otani was not involved in the incident. “I am a victim of this,” he said in a statement. Massive theft. ”
ESPN reported that Bowyer worked directly with Mizuhara, who is said to have bet on soccer and other sports starting in 2021, but never on baseball. Mr. Bowyer's lawyer said he had never spoken to or met Mr. Otani. MLB players are allowed to bet on other sports, but not with illegal bookmakers.
Mizuhara reportedly spoke at the Dodgers' clubhouse in South Korea on Wednesday and told the team that there was a story coming out and that it was all his fault and that he had a gambling addiction.
Ippei Mizuhara was more than an interpreter for Shohei Otani.
This development is shocking to those who have observed Ohtani up close. Mizuhara has served as Ohtani's translator since his rookie year with the Los Angeles Angels in 2018, and his tenure as a friend is even longer. The two first met in 2013 when Otani joined the Nippon-Ham Fighters and Mizuhara worked as an interpreter for English-speaking players.
Mizuhara followed Ohtani to the United States and settled at his side, who became the most famous baseball player on the planet. He also served as Otani's catcher in the 2021 Home Run Derby. He has been Ohtani's spokesperson in all public appearances and has been his best friend since arriving in the United States.
Ohtani brought Mizuhara with him when he signed a record-breaking $700 million contract with the Dodgers in the offseason. This is the largest known contract in sports history. Ohtani is also MLB's richest player in terms of sponsorship deals, with Sportico estimating his annual income to be $65 million. This number is more than the rest of the top 15 players combined, with Bryce Harper in second place with his $7 million.
The past few months have been eventful for Ohtani outside of baseball. He announced his surprise marriage just last month, and a few days ago his wife's identity was revealed to be former basketball player Mamiko Tanaka. He also became a hot topic for adopting a dog named Dekopin.
