Shohei Ohtani of the LA Dodgers is set to break his silence regarding the alleged theft and illegal gambling activities of his interpreter and manager, Ippei Mizuhara. Ohtani has remained quiet on the matter until now.
According to ESPN and other sources on the 24th, Ohtani will hold a press conference on the 26th to address the issue.
The revelation of Mizuhara’s illegal gambling came through foreign media reports on the 21st, uncovering that Mizuhara had recently engaged in illegal gambling activities, during which he stole funds from Ohtani. The stolen amount is reported to be at least $4.5 million.
Mizuhara has been connected with Ohtani since his days playing for the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japanese professional baseball. After Ohtani moved to Major League Baseball in 2018, Mizuhara served as his dedicated interpreter, closely following him.
However, Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers on the 21st, during the MLB Seoul Series, after it was discovered that he had squandered money on illegal gambling, including Ohtani’s funds, to pay off his debts.
Mizuhara also caused controversy by telling the media that while admitting to the illegal gambling charges, Ohtani directly transferred $4.5 million to the gambler to pay off his gambling debts.
However, after Ohtani’s side vehemently asserted that Ohtani was a victim of Mizuhara’s theft, Mizuhara changed his statement, claiming, “Ohtani knew nothing about it and did not make any transfers,” thus deepening the controversy.
If it were revealed that Mizuhara bet on baseball and Ohtani was aware of it, Ohtani would be ineligible to play for one year.
Currently, the IRS in the United States is investigating the Mizuhara case, and the MLB office is separately gathering and investigating related information.