Source: Jason Armond / Getty / Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani doubles down when his interpreter hoodwinks, taunts and drags him into this ongoing and evolving gambling scandal.
Los Angeles Dodgers' $700 million man Shohei Ohtani wants the world to know that he didn't bet on baseball or any other sport and that his translator, Ippei Mizuhara, lied and stole more than $4 million to cover up his gambling debts.
It has been detected Yahoo! SportOhtani finally broke his silence with a nearly 12-minute statement on the matter after Mizuhara was fired as his translator following accusations that he stole money from the MLB superstar through wire transfers.
Per Yahoo! Sport:
“I'm very saddened and shocked that someone I trusted did this,” Ohtani said through an interpreter at the start of his statement. Then he refused engaging in sports gambling in any form.
“I have never bet on baseball or any other sport or asked anyone to do that on my behalf,” he said. “And I've never been to a bookie to bet on sports. …
“Until a few days ago, I didn't know this was happening. … Bottom line, Ippei stole money from my account and lied.”
Ohtani also denied knowingly paying off any alleged gambling debts.
“To the representatives in my camp, Ippei told the media and the representatives that I, on behalf of a friend, paid off the debt,” he said. “Upon further questioning, it was revealed that it was actually Ippei who was in debt and he told my representatives that I was paying off those debts.
“This was all a complete lie.”
Shohei Ohtani claims he had no idea about his interpreter's gambling issues
Ohtani also claims that Mizhura was telling a big lie when he told the Dodgers organization that he was contacting Ohtani about the incident.
The slugger/pitcher claims he first learned of his interpreter's gambling issues during a team meeting after the Dodgers played the San Diego Padres in South Korea.
Ohtani claims he and Mizhura had a “one on one” meeting at their hotel.
“Until that team meeting, I didn't know Ippei had a gambling addiction and was in debt,” Ohtani said. “Obviously, I never agreed to repay the debt or make any payments to the betting company.”
“And it was revealed to me during that meeting, Ippei admitted that he was sending money using my bookmaker account,” he said. “And at the time, it was absurd what was happening and I contacted my representatives at that point.”
People are still skeptical
Ohtani is adamant that he didn't bet on MLB or any sports, but many people call that a stretch to the idea that he had no idea about the $4 million bank transfers.
ESPN First Take contributor and sports radio legend Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo isn't buying what Ohtani is selling. On his show, he believes Ohtani's interpreter stole the money and that the Dodgers superstar is guilty of being a “good friend and bad judgment.”
We are interested to see how this situation develops. MLB is currently investigating. Until then, you can see more reactions in the gallery below.
