LOS ANGELES — Carrying a black folder that contained intimately in Japanese what he sought to say, Shohei Ohtani laid out a placing, surprising declare in clear phrases.
Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s interpreter and shut good friend since arriving in Main League Baseball “has been stealing cash from my account and has advised lies,” Ohtani alleged Monday in his first public feedback since Mizuhara’s firing. The Los Angeles Dodgers star unspooled a model of occasions wherein he claimed Mizuhara admitted he took cash from his accounts to repay not less than $4.5 million in money owed to an unlawful bookmaker.
The allegations have been agency, and bluntly said, placing the give attention to direct claims that Mizuhara lied to him and Dodgers officers along with stealing an enormous sum.
Ohtani sat calmly as he learn his 12-minute assertion alongside new interpreter Will Ireton in entrance of some 70 reporters, with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ high brass (together with CEO Stan Kasten, chief advertising and marketing officer Lon Rosen, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and basic supervisor Brandon Gomes) in addition to supervisor Dave Roberts and teammates Kiké Hernández and Joe Kelly. No Dodgers official aside from Roberts has spoken publicly since Mizuhara’s firing.
Ohtani learn from his ready checklist of notes, staring blankly forward as Ireton interpreted his solutions into English, and didn’t take any questions from the media. Video cameras have been pressured to stay exterior. These have been the primary public statements Ohtani had made with anybody aside from Mizuhara by his facet since his introductory press convention with the Los Angeles Angels in December 2017.
Shohei Ohtani spoke for 12 minutes in a room that included a number of high-ranking Dodgers officers in addition to Dave Roberts, Kiké Hernández, alleging that Ippei Mizuhara lied to him, the Dodgers and attorneys concerning the extent of the funds.
Ohtani repeatedly mentioned he didn’t wager.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) March 25, 2024
This was his probability to echo what his representatives have messaged since Mizuhara was fired on Thursday when the information of the funds went public.
First, Ohtani mentioned he by no means wager on baseball or some other sport and “by no means have requested somebody to do it on my behalf. I’ve by no means (gone) by a bookmaker to wager on sports activities.”
Second, Ohtani mentioned he didn’t make the wire transfers to alleged unlawful bookmaker Matthew Bowyer, the purported transaction that thrust Ohtani and Mizuhara into the highlight and onto the radar of reporters from the Los Angeles Instances and ESPN.
Mizuahra, Ohtani alleged, by no means advised him that these information shops have been pursuing a narrative concerning these funds, regardless of Mizuhara claiming that Ohtani was within the know each on the funds and the conversations he was having with ESPN.
Ohtani mentioned he had no thought about Mizuhara’s playing points till Mizuhara addressed the clubhouse in a rushed, eerie postgame assembly that included Kasten, Friedman and proprietor Mark Walter in Seoul, South Korea. It was there, Ohtani mentioned Monday, that he was in a position to parse out a few of what Mizuhara was saying in English, although with out an interpreter standing subsequent to him, he couldn’t perceive all of it.
The 2 walked out of the house clubhouse on the Gocheok Skydome collectively. All appeared nicely, although Ohtani sensed “there was one thing amiss,” he mentioned Monday.
Mizuhara had advised Ohtani they might converse privately upon returning to the group resort, in keeping with the participant. It was there, Ohtani mentioned, that Mizuhara revealed the extent of his playing money owed and admitted he was utilizing the account and sending cash to Bowyer. In subsequent conversations along with his representatives at CAA in addition to the Dodgers, “(they) at that second came upon as nicely that they’ve been lied to.”
Whereas Ohtani mentioned he and his attorneys are having “the correct authorities” deal with these allegations, it’s unclear which authorities they’ve reported this to. Mizuhara and Bowyer are the topic of an IRS investigation. Bowyer stays the topic of a federal investigation as nicely.
Main League Baseball opened its investigation into the saga on Friday. Whereas it’s not clear whether or not the league has formally requested an interview with Ohtani as a part of its investigation, Ohtani mentioned, “I’m utterly aiding in all investigations which are going down proper now.”
How Mizuhara obtained entry to Ohtani’s account, not to mention despatched a number of transfers with out Ohtani’s information, stays an enormous query. Ohtani and Mizuhara had removed from the everyday player-interpreter relationship. Their friendship featured the 2 collectively primarily three hundred and sixty five days a 12 months, with Mizuhara serving as Ohtani’s driver early in his big-league profession, and, in latest months, catch accomplice and dogsitter amongst different duties. A key a part of the investigation will probably be to find out how a lot cash left Ohtani’s account, and the way it moved from Ohtani’s account allegedly with out his information.
Additionally underneath scrutiny is how the Dodgers and Ohtani’s representatives entrusted Mizuhara sufficient to have him be the lone level particular person to Ohtani whereas they knew Mizuhara was the topic of this line of questioning. Somewhat, they adopted their typical order of operations: Each communication from the Dodgers, agent Nez Balelo or his representatives at CAA went by Mizuhara, even with out Ohtani current. That meant nobody from the Dodgers or CAA supposedly ever talked to Ohtani instantly concerning the looming story involving Mizuhara earlier than the interpreter addressed the membership after Wednesday’s season opener. Mizuhara claimed to ESPN he by no means misrepresented something whereas decoding for Ohtani.
“I’m very saddened and shocked that somebody who I trusted has accomplished this,” Ohtani mentioned.
And whereas Ohtani mentioned in robust phrases that he by no means wager on baseball, or any sports activities, a pending investigation should take a better take a look at what wagers Mizuhara made. The previous interpreter claimed repeatedly to ESPN that he wager on worldwide soccer, NBA, NFL and school soccer, however by no means on baseball.
In breaking his silence, Ohtani made clear there’s now a divide with the particular person he’s been closest to since he was in his early 20s. The specificity behind his claims — that Mizuhara stole from him to repay Bowyer, and lied about it not simply to Dodgers and CAA officers however to Ohtani himself — have clearly painted a model of occasions.
One which Ohtani and his camp higher hope is true.
(Picture of Shohei Ohtani: Jae C. Hong / Related Press)