Los Angeles Dodgers famous person Shohei Ohtani and his translator Ippei Mizuhara just lately grew to become the main target of an investigation concerning sports activities betting involving an unlawful bookmaker in California (sports activities betting is just not authorized there). I lined just a few of the small print on this article right here final week.
Monday, Ohtani held a information convention to deal with the state of affairs. Or, I ought to extra accurately say, he made an announcement in entrance of reporters and didn’t take questions. You possibly can learn Ohtani’s complete assertion right here (it’s an Athletic article, subscription required).
Listed below are a very powerful components, summarized by the Related Press:
“I’m very saddened and shocked somebody whom I trusted has accomplished this,” the Japanese star mentioned whereas sitting subsequent to Will Ireton, the group’s supervisor of efficiency operations, who translated.
“Ippei has been stealing cash from my account and has been telling lies,” Ohtani mentioned. “I by no means guess on sports activities or have willfully despatched cash to the bookmaker.”
He added:
“I by no means guess on baseball or every other sports activities or by no means have requested anyone to do it on my behalf, and I’ve by no means gone by a bookmaker to guess on sports activities. and was by no means requested to help betting fee for anybody else,” Ohtani mentioned.
In fact, this grew to become controversial as a result of Mizuhara, in an extended interview given to ESPN, had mentioned that Ohtani gave him the cash willingly to repay the debt. This could not solely have harm Ohtani’s baseball profession, however it could have violated quite a few federal legal guidelines. To that, Ohtani mentioned:
“All of this has been an entire lie,” Ohtani mentioned. “Ippei clearly mainly didn’t inform me concerning the media inquiry. So Ippei has been telling everybody round that he has been speaking with me on this account to the media and my group, and that hasn’t been true.”
After that, there was a Dodgers group assembly held the place the group was enjoying in Seoul, South Korea. To that, Ohtani mentioned:
“Simply previous to the assembly, I used to be advised by Ippei, ‘Hey, let’s speak one to 1 within the resort after the assembly,’” Ohtani mentioned. “So up till that group assembly, I didn’t know that Ippei had a playing dependancy and was in debt. Clearly I by no means agreed to pay for the debt or make funds to the bookmaker, and at last once we went again to the resort, that was after I came upon that he had a large debt, and it was revealed to me throughout that assembly that Ippei admitted that he was sending cash utilizing my account to the bookmaker. At that second, it was an absurd factor that was occurring and I contacted my representatives at that time.”
I are inclined to agree with this take by baseball author Craig Calcaterra (who can also be a former lawyer):
So Ohtani’s place is the “Ippei straight-up-stole money-from-me” state of affairs. Which places the wire transfers on the forefront. The feds/forensic investigation can determine that out. If it is born out, Shohei is within the clear and Ippei is in tons of significant hassle.
— Craig Calcaterra (@craigcalcaterra) March 25, 2024
To me, this makes essentially the most sense. Additionally:
I will say this a lot: for the entire mists of uncertainty we had previously week, Ohtani going full-on “he stole from me” could be a completely loopy place to take if it was not true. It could open him as much as every kind of jeopardy, each civil and legal.
— Craig Calcaterra (@craigcalcaterra) March 25, 2024
Additional to that, Mizuhara, as a gambler in critical debt, would possible say something that might save his personal pores and skin, together with mendacity in an extended interview given to ESPN — which:
If true, Ippei gave a 90-minute interview to ESPN of straight up lies, backed up by Ohtani’s PR/disaster communications folks, all whereas his agent stood by.
Could also be time for some personnel adjustments!
— Craig Calcaterra (@craigcalcaterra) March 25, 2024
If that is NOT true, Ippei has each incentive to inform that to anybody who would pay attention to save lots of his personal pores and skin. So, in contrast to the mess of the final week, we at the very least have clear battle strains drawn.
— Craig Calcaterra (@craigcalcaterra) March 25, 2024
Certainly, that’s precisely what we’ve got right here, and given Ohtani’s popularity all through his baseball profession, my inclination is to imagine him, and never a translator who additionally reportedly has lied about fairly quite a few issues on his resume, together with the place he went to school. That hyperlink additionally says:
The Boston Crimson Sox have additionally disputed a reality present in Mizuhara’s public biography of getting labored for the group as an interpreter for Hideki Okajima.
“Please know that we’ve got totally checked our recordsdata to make sure we’re offering correct data,” the Crimson Sox talked about of their assertion.
MLB is investigating this, as are numerous authorities, together with the IRS and FBI (the latter, investigating the alleged bookie). I’m sure there shall be info uncovered sooner or later. They appear very prone to exonerate Ohtani of any wrongdoing.
It ought to be famous that Mizuhara mentioned not one of the bets he made had been on baseball. So any “However Pete Rose!” comparisons are nonsense. Nonetheless, that is the form of factor that’s going to bop across the periphery of baseball given their partnerships with playing operations. MLB has begun to have a look at gaming as a income supply, and my feeling is that they must be cautious what they need for.
As at all times, we await developments.